The Name Game
by Cas di Angelo
Summary: A cat's particular name is supposed to be a secret to humans. So what happens when a girl from America guesses them on her first try?
1. Chapter 1

A cat's particular and dignified name is supposed to be a secret to all other living beings. So what happens when a simple teenage girl from America guesses them on the first try? The worst part is, she doesn't know what she's doing until it's too late.

[A/N] to save confusion, the first person bits are from Cassie's point of view, and third person bits are from the cats'. Yes, this is the Cassie mentioned in A Thief and a Warrior.

[=^..^= point of view change]

[… time cut in same POV]

…

I strolled along the darkened street, heading to the neighbor's house to pick up my brother from a birthday party. It was only about seven o'clock at night, but the sun had set almost two hours ago. Oh, the joys of winter.

A movement ahead of me caught my eye, and I saw a black and white cat darting along the bushes. He looked young, and was moving as if he were hunting for his supper. I took a few steps towards the cat, and he froze, staring at me; probably deciding whether I was friend or foe.

"Hey there," I called, and the cat darted away. "Wait!" I followed after, even though I knew he was startled by my approach. I wanted to get a closer look at this cat.

He was running along the wall of a building when a name popped into my head. "Alonzo!" I hissed; I could hear some people nearby, and I didn't want to be caught talking to a cat. The cat froze again, watching me. "Alonzo, come here!" Trembling, the cat shot off into the darkness.

I shrugged, continuing on my way to get my brother.

=^..^=

Alonzo arrived at the junkyard, truly shaken. He immediately sought out Munkustrap.

"We have a problem," he said to the silver tabby.

Munkustrap took in the serious expression on Alonzo's face. "What happened? And why did you come back so soon? I thought you were hunting."

"I was," Alonzo rolled his eyes. "That's when I saw a human girl. She was just walking, and tried to get closer when she saw me."

"That doesn't sound too bad," Munkustrap mused. "It's the natural reaction whenever a cat-person sees a cat."

"Do they guess our names on the first try?"

Munkustrap frowned at his friend. "I'm sure you were hearing things; Humans can't guess our names."

"She did." Alonzo said firmly. "I specifically heard her say 'Alonzo'. She wanted me to come to her! It took all my willpower to run away!"

Munkustrap's frown deepened. "This is a problem. For now, tell everyone to stay in the junkyard, and to avoid humans as much as possible." He started off, but turned back to the black and white tom. "Was there anything particular you noticed about her?"

Alonzo nodded. "She was American."

…

Taylor walked along the curb ahead of me, stretching out his arms to keep his balance. I smiled as he rambled on and on about the birthday party.

"And we played freeze tag, and pin the tail on the donkey, and duck, duck, goose, and we had chocolate ice cream and vanilla cake, but I didn't like the frosting very much, and after that Kaiden opened presents," he stopped, and turned to me. "He got twelve Bakugan. Isn't that cool?"

I nodded, having no clue whatsoever what a Bakugan was. "Come on, dinner was hot on the table when I left."

"What is it?"

I smiled. "Mom's macaroni, and steamed broccoli."

"YAY!!" Taylor ran down the sidewalk, forgetting his balancing act completely.

"Watch out for ice!" I called, not wanting to quicken my pace. But as I said it, I watched him drop to the ground.

"Taylor…" I sighed as I caught up to him. He was examining the snow by the sidewalk, ignoring his now wet rear to poke his finger at something.

"Look, Cassie," he said, pointing. "Cat tracks."

I bent down to see what he was pointing to. There was a neat row of tracks in the snow, spaced as though the owner had been running.

"I think I saw that cat," I said. Taylor looked up at me.

"What did it look like?"

"Well," I pictured the cat in my mind. "He was black and white, and really skinny."

Taylor laughed. "Not like beaver?"

I laughed at our own cat's nick-name. "Not at all like beaver."

We hurried home, our stomachs rumbling for our favorite meal.

=^..^=

Samuel flopped down on his favorite blanket, which happened to belong to one of the children in his family. His arthritis had been hurting him all day, and he was glad to finally be back next to the furnace—the warmest place in the house. Within minutes he was dozing lightly; he never really slept these days, because the children in the house insisted on hugging him like a teddy bear whenever they saw him. Jacob was the worst.

"Kitty!"

Samuel resisted the urge to roll his eyes. Jacob was a teenager, almost a grown human, but he still acted like he was five.

"Do you mind? I'm napping here." Samuel complained to the human boy. All Jacob heard, however, was a disgruntled meow as he picked up the cat and snuggled him, kissing him several times on the forehead. "Oh, the humiliation…" Samuel muttered, glad his friend Allie had gone to Heaviside several years before. He was beginning to understand why she'd run into the road in front of a truck.

He sighed, knowing the boy would eventually let him down by his food dish. That was the only reason he put up with it, as his sore joints, coupled with his enormous girth, made it nearly impossible to move anywhere easily.

"Hi Jake," Cassie came over to her brother, watching the computer screen. "Those look cool," she said, pointing to some drawings he'd been working on. Jacob glanced at the screen.

"Thanks," he said. Cassie scratched under Samuel's chin, making him purr loudly. "You want some food Sam?" She asked. Samuel meowed gladly, thanking Everlasting Cat that she could always guess what he wanted. The large tom turned to Jacob, who was still smothering him with his arms.

"Please let me go," Samuel said. Jacob sighed and let him down on the carpet, and Sam waddled after Cassie into the next room. She was standing next to the food bag with her hands on her hips, staring at him.

"There is food in your bowl," she said, pointing. "I don't need to put any more in."

"It doesn't go bad…" he grumbled. He sniffed at the dry cat food and began crunching it down.

…

Samuel hoisted himself up the stairs, listening to Cassie's footsteps as she followed him out of the basement. She opened the back door for him and let him outside. Samuel felt alive with energy; they'd been in London for nearly a week, and it was time to explore.

"I'll be back in the morning," he meowed at the girl.

…

He was walking along a less used road, sniffing along when he noticed the scent of at least two dozen other cats. He cocked his head, curious. Bent as low as he could with his arthritic paws, he followed the trail.

It led him to a junkyard, and just from the smell of it, he knew all the cats he smelled before lived there. _Strays… What heathens._ He thought. _Well, not all of them._ His mind turned towards Kaela, a young queen from back home that had actually been very sweet. Too bad the parents had vowed not to have another pet.

He entered the junkyard, still curious about the inhabitants, when he heard a giggle from one of the junk piles.

"He looks like he's fatter than Bustopher," A tiny voice said. It was followed by several more giggles.

"Excuse me," Samuel said, staring towards the pile. "But I believe that, me being fourteen years of age and an educated cat, I am your superior, and therefore deserve some respect."

Three young kittens, two queens and a tom, jumped down from the pile looking slightly sheepish. If there was one thing they'd been taught, it was to respect their elders.

"Are you like Old Deuteronomy?" The tom asked.

Samuel frowned. "I'm not sure who that is, as I am a stranger to these parts. Tell me your names, and I shall tell you mine."

"I'm Etcetera!" One of the queens piped up.

"Jemima," said the other queen.

"Mistoffelees," The tom said.

Samuel smiled at the young kittens. "My name is Samuel. My family moved here from America just a short while ago."

"Where's America?" Etcetera asked.

"It's across the ocean," Samuel said, receiving blank stares from the kittens. "A long way from here."

The three kittens looked at him in awe. Jemima smiled. "Do you want to meet everyone else?"

Samuel nodded. "Thank you," he said. The three kittens bounded off through the junkyard with surprising grace. "Wait," he called. "I have arthritis in my joints, and I cannot walk as fast as you!"

…

Munkustrap and Demeter were sitting in the center clearing, talking about the upcoming ball when Etcetera, Mistoffelees, and Jemima tumbled in, with an older tom following behind them. He was a very dark brown, and had markings like a Siamese… but was waddling from his enormous girth. The silver tabby strode over to introduce himself.

"Welcome to the junkyard," he said. "I am Munkustrap, second in command. Old Deuteronomy is our leader."

"I am Samuel," said the tom, resting back on his haunches. "My humans recently moved here, and I had a desire to familiarize myself with the community."

Munkustrap exchanged glances with Alonzo. This cat had an American accent. "Who are your humans?"

"Their last name is Adams," Samuel said. He began ticking numbers off on his paws. "There's Naunie, and Mike; the parents, and then theirs three girls, Jennie, Cassie, and Marie, and four boys, Jake, Jimmy, Bobby, and Taylor. I have lived with them for most of my life; they found me when I was only a few weeks old."

_A housecat,_ Munkustrap thought. "Where's your collar?"

Samuel chuckled. "They know I don't like them. Occasionally the girls will put a bracelet or scarf around my neck, but they always take it off after a few minutes."

"So what's your dignified name?" Alonzo asked.

"Pardon?" Samuel frowned at the tom.

"If your everyday name is Samuel, what is your own name?"

"Samuel," he said hesitantly. "The girl Cassie was the one who discovered it. Albeit she thought I was a queen when they first took me in and thought my name to be Samantha, but she soon corrected her mistake." He looked at Munkustrap. "I have hardly known her to be wrong since."

Munkustrap was silent for a moment. Demeter rubbed his shoulder, sensing his worry.

"Bring her here," Munkustrap said finally. A gasp ran through the cats present. "Tonight."


	2. Chapter 2

**A cat's particular and dignified name is supposed to be a secret to all other living beings. So what happens when a simple teenage girl from America guesses them on the first try? The worst part is, she doesn't know what she's doing until it's too late.**

**[A/N] to save confusion, the first person bits are from Cassie's point of view, and third person bits are from the cats'. Yes, this is the Cassie mentioned in A Thief and a Warrior.**

**[=^..^= point of view change]**

**[… time cut in same POV]**

…

I frowned into my pillow, trying to get back to sleep, but it was no use. It was about three in the morning, and my mind was suddenly active. I tried to remember my dream, but it was gone.

"Whatever," I muttered. I reached up to turn on my lamp, blinking in the sudden light and felt around for my glasses. I jammed them onto my face and flipped onto my back. I stared up at the posters on my ceiling, smiling at the signatures in silver Sharpie on my Wicked, Beauty and the Beast, and Into the Woods posters, and the pictures taped onto my Pirate's poster of me and Kiera Knightly, Orlando Bloom and Johnny Depp. My favorite one was where Johnny had dared Orlando to kiss my cheek right when the picture was taken. Of course, I didn't know about it, so my mouth and eyes were wide open with shock.

A scratching at my window distracted me, and I stood on my bed to peer out into the darkness. I saw nothing, but that didn't mean anything. I turned the flash from my phone on, pointing it out the window. I jumped when the light caught a large pair of eyes.

"Sam!" I whispered. He stared at me, and I left my room to let him in. I dropped my phone into my scrubs pajama's pocket, wrapping my thick alumni blanket around me. I slid open the back door, dancing in the cold while I waited for our stubborn cat to come inside. He was sitting about ten feet away from the door, his tail flicking back and forth.

"Oh come on," I whined. "You already do this when you're inside, do you really have to when you're coming in?" I stood there a bit longer, wishing I'd put socks on. Finally, Sam stood and waded through the snow, glancing up at me as he passed. I sighed gratefully and shut the door, and began making my way back down to my room. Sam walked ahead of me, his head down low. At the top of the stairs, he stopped and turned around, looking up at me.

I sighed again, and reached down to pick him up. "Down we go, Beaver." I had my hands securely under his floppy stomach when he suddenly took off towards the door. I watched him, rubbing my neck with confusion. I followed after him, opening the door once again. He turned away like he was leaving, but came up behind me and butted my ankles with his head. He obviously wanted me to go outside.

"Let me get my shoes then."

I slipped them on, still wishing for socks, and followed the overweight cat outside into the early morning.

=^..^=

Munkustrap had gathered all the cats in the center clearing, all of them awaiting Samuel's return. Alonzo was seated on one of the tallest junk piles, watching for the old tom and the mysterious human girl. He called out, jumping lithely to the ground.

"They're coming."

Minutes later, Samuel entered with the girl walking cautiously behind him. She was wearing thin clothes, and wrapped in a blanket, and she had chunky black glasses sliding down her nose. Munkustrap turned to Alonzo.

"Is this the girl who saw you?"

Alonzo studied her face, suddenly leaping up to swipe the glasses off her face. She gasped and jumped back slightly, but stayed frozen in place otherwise; she'd never seen so many cats in one place before.

"Yes, that's her." Alonzo sniffed, returning to his place by Cassandra.

"Jellicles!" Munkustrap called, collecting their attention. The girl bent down, squinting at the ground for her glasses. "This girl is a danger to us. She appears to have the ability to guess our names, and we have a choice to make." He waited until the tribe was completely silent. "Either we kill her," Samuel, along with some of the kittens, protested loudly at this. "Or we make her one of us." Munkustrap received shocked silence from the tribe. How could a human girl become a Jellicle?

"Munkustrap…"

Everyone looked at the human girl, suddenly terrified. Here was the proof of what they'd been told. She continued somewhat nervously.

"I think you're mad at me for some reason, but could you somehow let me know why?" she asked slowly.

Munkustrap swallowed. He found it hard to go against the girl's question. He turned to Mistoffelees. "Go get Deuteronomy."

…

The old patriarch of the tribe followed Mistoffelees, deeply troubled by what the tuxedo tom had explained. He saw the girl had seated herself inside the hollow oven, pulling at her blanket as she wished she was still in bed.

Deuteronomy sat on the tire, listening to Munkustrap's decision. He frowned. "That would take quite a lot of effort. Not to mention, she will be missed by her family."

"There's nothing we can do to change her ability." Munkustrap said gravely. "It's the only way to preserve our culture. Don't you remember the legend of Yvaine?" He said quietly.

"Yes," Deuteronomy said, recalling the story. About two hundred years ago, a girl could communicate with cats, speak their language, even know their names. Eventually, she had unintentionally become the near downfall of all cats. Deuteronomy sighed. "If you say it is the only way, then it is the only way."

=^..^=

I shivered violently. I didn't like the look on the cat's faces, especially the two sitting on the tire. I felt something touch my leg, and I looked down to see a white kitten at my feet. Instinctively I stretched my hand down to let her sniff it. She pressed her soft head against my palm, and I smiled. I rested my chin on my knees. "Can I pick you up?" I whispered.

They tiny kitten meowed at me, and I scooped her up, scratching the back of her head. Suddenly I had five other kittens clustered around me, rubbing against my legs and trying to get me to scratch them too. I laughed and picked them up, alternating between whose head I scratched. Samuel sat at my feet, the smug look on his face saying, 'yes, that's my human.'

=^..^=

"C'mon, Munk!" Jemima called out. She was seated with the rest of the kittens on the girls' lap, all of them enjoying getting their heads scratched. "She can't be bad if she's this good at scratches!" Jemima flopped on her back, giggling with delight when the girl scratched her chest.

Munkustrap sighed. He wished he didn't have to do this to a human, but he had no choice. "Deuteronomy," he said. "Open her ears."

Old Deuteronomy nodded, and bowed his head, muttering under his breath. Finally he looked at Munkustrap, signaling that the silver tabby could start. Munkustrap cleared his throat.

"Human girl," he said.

"Cassie."

Munkustrap blinked. "What?"

"My name is Cassie."

Munkustrap chuckled. "You hear us talking and your first reaction is to tell us your name?"

Cassie tilted her head to the side. "Well, it's about five in the morning, so I'm pretty sure I'm hallucinating right now. Why shouldn't cats start talking?"

The cats around the clearing laughed quietly before letting Munkustrap continue.

"Yesterday, you saw one of our tribe and called out a name," Munkustrap stated. "I am here to tell you that you accurately guessed his dignified name, a carefully guarded secret from any being aside from cats. You also guessed mine, and from what he tells us," he nodded at Samuel. "You have known his since you were a little girl."

"I was five," Cassie said calmly. "It was like a dream come true when my dad came home with a kitten, and he's been a member of the family ever since."

"But the fact of the matter is that you know how to discover our names," Munkustrap said patiently. "This is unacceptable."

"What are you going to do about it?" Cassie demanded. She was tempted to stand up, but she didn't want to dump the kittens off her lap.

"I must apologize, Cassie," Samuel said, looking up at her. "But they will not allow you to return home. You know too much."

Cassie laughed. "OK, I'm having one of those dreams that feels so real that I can't tell that I'm dreaming…" she rubbed her eyes. "Holy trap, I'm even going cross-eyed."

Deuteronomy glanced at Munkustrap, who yelled out, "Surround her!"

Cassie leapt to her feet, the kittens on her lap scattering as the rest of the cats in the tribe began pulling at her blanket and pulling her down. One even jumped on her shoulders and stuffed her mouth with some cloth to keep her silent. Soon they were all piled on top of her, holding her under the blanket while Deuteronomy and a select few did their work.

**[A/N]**

**I have to clarify: in this world, there is no musical called CATS, because they are in the world **_**of **_**the musical. Does that make sense? So Cassie would have no source for guessing names.**


	3. Chapter 3

**A cat's particular and dignified name is supposed to be a secret to all other living beings. So what happens when a simple teenage girl from America guesses them on the first try? The worst part is, she doesn't know what she's doing until it's too late.**

**[A/N] to save confusion, the first person bits are from Cassie's point of view, and third person bits are from the cats'. Yes, this is the Cassie mentioned in A Thief and a Warrior.**

**[=^..^= point of view change]**

**[… time cut in same POV]**

…

I stretched under my blanket, glad of its thickness against my cold room. I really needed to get dad to fix that… no matter how high the furnace was cranked, my room was always cold. I wondered what time it was, but I wasn't in the mood to feel around for my phone on my bed. Someone would text me, and I would locate it via vibrations.

"…should be up by now, it's nearly lunchtime."

I poked my tongue out. Of course it was nearly lunch time. I had stayed up really late last night… doing what? I must have fallen asleep after I let Sam in, because my dream was so weird, and involved nearly thirty cats… But all I could remember was being in a junkyard, and they weren't happy with me.

I rolled over, stretching out my paws to—wait, _paws?_ I sat up, feeling myself all over. No scrubs, no loose t-shirt, no glasses, not even the bandana I'd tied my hair back with. I was covered with fur. I felt my face with my hands… erm, paws… my breath creeping to hyperventilation as I felt whiskers, a short snout, and pointed ears on the top of my head. I glanced behind me, running a paw carefully down until I felt a long tail.

I screamed at the top of my lungs.

=^..^=

Jenny flinched as a high pitched scream emitted from under the blanket in the clearing. She shook her head. Yes, she agreed that certain measures were necessary for keeping their secrets, but why couldn't they have told her what they were going to do? Jenny sighed as she made her way over to the blanket, heaving with all her might to unveil a white queen with black and grey patches. She looked terrified.

"It's alright, dear," she said to the frightened queen. "You have nothing to be afraid of."

The queen glanced at Jenny's outstretched paw with wide eyes, and Jenny noticed they were a grey-blue color. "What happened to me?" she asked. She was shaking badly.

"We did what we had to in order to keep us safe."

Munkustrap strode over, looking the queen up and down. She narrowed her eyes.

"You were the one who did this to me," she accused. She had a dangerous look in her eyes.

"Well, technically—"

Munkustrap's breath was knocked out of him as the queen tackled him and began punching him for all she was worth.

"Change—me—back—you—jerk!!" She yelled between punches. Several cats tried to jump in to pull the queen off of their protector, but they got elbowed whenever they tried.

Jenny looked around at the toms, beginning to be desperate. "Alonzo! Do something!"

The black and white tom stared uncertainly at the mad queen, but sighed and crouched down to pounce. A blur of orange, black and white beat him to her, though, and the queen was struggling on the ground under the full weight of Mungojerrie.

"Calm down, will ye?" He said, pinning her arms to her sides. She jerked her head back, but he dodged it and held it in place as well. "Ye'ah lucky Munks doesn' 'it queens," he said, grinning cockily at the silver tabby, who was dusting himself off gingerly.

Sensing she wouldn't get free anytime soon, the queen relaxed a bit. Mungojerrie smiled at her and loosened his hold on her a bit. "Now," he said, helping her up. "Wha's ye'ah name?"

The queen opened her mouth, and closed it again. She frowned, trying to remember what her name had been. She shook her head, still frowning. "I dunno."

Alonzo had an idea. "You know a cat's name by seeing them, right?" The queen stared at him; apparently that had left her memory as well. Alonzo continued. "Just look at your reflection."

"I—I don't want to." The queen said. It was hard enough to think of herself as a cat… seeing her reflection would be too much for one day. She spied a calico queen standing next to Jenny. "Rumpelteazer? Will you walk with me?"

Jenny and Alonzo exchanged looks. Yeah, she still had it.

=^..^=

I sat next to a fence, hugging my knees to my chest. Rumpelteazer was sitting next to me, humming to herself.

"Tha' was awesome, wha' ye did." She said, smiling. "I've nevah seen anyone bea' up on Munks like tha'!" she laughed openheartedly, making me smile.

"I have four brothers, so it's not like that was the first time I've punched someone bigger than me." I was quiet for a moment, digging through my memories. Why could I remember about my brothers, but not my own name? I didn't know, but it made me nervous.

My stomach rumbled and I clenched at it, scrunching my nose. "Erm, Teazer?" I looked at the calico queen. "What do cats eat besides the stuff from a bag?"

Rumpelteazer looked at me in disbelief. "Food comes in bags?"

I rolled my eyes. "Yeah, but what do you guys eat?"

She shrugged. "Whatevah we find."

I made a face. "What do you usually find?"

Rumpelteazer grinned at me. "Me'n Mungo get bettah grub than th' rest of 'em." She stood, stretching her legs. "C'mon, we'll show ya 'round th' neighbahood," she said with a wink. I followed her back through the junkyard, wobbling a little on my small paws.

_Maybe that's what the tail is for,_ I thought, and glanced behind me to watch my tail flick back and forth to keep me from falling.

We found Mungojerrie lounging in the center clearing, stretched out on a thick blanket.

"Hey!" I shouted. "That's mine!"

I felt myself shift down into a crouch, and my mind was thinking, _pounce… pounce… pounce…_ Before I could stop myself, I was launching myself towards the tiger tabby on my blanket. He yelped and leapt out of the way, throwing the blanket on top of me when I had landed.

"Not fair!" I shouted, struggling to get out of my soft prison.

I felt a pair of strong paws grip my shoulders, and I could tell Mungojerrie was grinning as he asked, "Can' ye go ten minutes wivout attackin' a tom?"

I huffed. "I have good reason to."

Mungo laughed. "Do ye promise no' t' tackle me again?"

"No."

"Fair 'nough."

I pushed against the blanket, blinking in the light when it was pulled off my head. Mungojerrie pulled it to the edge of the clearing, throwing it into the hollow oven.

"Ready t' go Teazah?"

"You know it!" Rumpelteazer grinned, and the two of them took off, leaving me chasing behind them.

**[A/N]**

**In my mind, these cats look like the ones from the musical, unless a human is present, then they look like cats.**

**Thanks to my readers! I love reading reviews!**


	4. Chapter 4

**A cat's particular and dignified name is supposed to be a secret to all other living beings. So what happens when a simple teenage girl from America guesses them on the first try? The worst part is, she doesn't know what she's doing until it's too late.**

**[A/N] to save confusion, the first person bits are from Cassie's point of view, and third person bits are from the cats'. Yes, this is the Cassie mentioned in A Thief and a Warrior.**

**[=^..^= point of view change]**

**[… time cut in same POV]**

…

The new queen soon became fast friends with Rumpelteazer, and the two were hardly apart from each other. Her name was still a mystery, as the queen had refused to look at her reflection at all. When she wasn't with Rumpelteazer (because she and Mungojerrie were off thieving), she could be found watching the sky in some obscure part of the junkyard, trying to summon memories of her old life.

It was one such meditation that Alonzo found her in, her chin resting on her folded arms, her clear eyes staring up at the clouds. He approached slowly, absently wondering if the effect of her voice would be the same as when she was human.

"Hey," he said. The queen glanced at him, mumbled a hello, and returned her gaze to the sky. Alonzo sat down next to her. "Still don't know your name?" He asked casually.

She scowled. "No. I have memories of people talking to me… but every time I sense they say my name, the memory fades. I don't even know what it would sound like…" she frowned, flexing her claws absently.

Alonzo didn't know what to say. How could someone not remember their own name? An idea popped into his head. "I could help you if you want?" He offered, watching the queen for her reaction.

She stared at him, her eyebrows raised. "I thought you were with Cassandra…" she blinked at the name, but shrugged it off. "Won't she dislike your spending time with me?"

Alonzo sighed. "She's not happy with me anyway. I don't know what's wrong with her this time…"

"'This time'?" the queen laughed. "How many times has she broken up with you?"

"More times than I care to remember," Alonzo muttered, pulling his knees up to his chest and pressing his forehead against them. He half expected the queen to laugh at him, but when he looked back at her she looked concerned and sympathetic.

"How about this," she said sitting up. "You help me figure out my name, and I'll figure out what's up with Cassandra. Deal?"

Alonzo grinned. "Deal." He shook her outstretched paw, feeling slightly happier.

=^..^=

I watched Alonzo descend the pile we'd been sitting on; he had patrol duty. I wondered how I would get the truth out of Cassandra… she and I weren't the best of friends. I nimbly leapt off the pile, searching for the slim Burmese queen.

…

I found her on the north side of the junkyard, sunning herself.

"Hey there!" I cheerfully called, drawing attention to myself.

"What do you want?"

I put on a hurt look. "Just to get to know everyone," I said, pouting a bit. "Why don't you like me very much?"

Cassandra eyed me carefully. "What do you want?" she repeated.

"Oh nothing," I shrugged nonchalantly. "But I'm a great listener if you need to vent about anything." No need to mention that she _looked _like she needed to spill her guts to a fellow queen. I turned to go, counting down in my head. I reached one right when I heard Cassandra call out. I turned around, looking at her curiously.

"I do need to get something off my chest…" she said slowly.

I smiled kindly. "Whatever you need," I climbed up to join her.

=^..^=

Alonzo padded along the road, headed for the Vicarage wall. Old Deuteronomy was slumbering in the sun, just as he always was. Alonzo sat, watching the old patriarch for a moment before climbing the wall to nudge him awake.

"What can I do for you Alonzo?"

"Why did you erase her name from her mind?" Alonzo asked, frowning. "She doesn't have a clue what her human name was."

"She's not going to be human ever again, so I saw no reason to leave that detail in her memories."

"But you did leave her memories." Alonzo confirmed.

Deuteronomy nodded. "Anything that would help her know how long she's lived, or where she came from, or even details about her family, I let it stay. However, anything that hinted she was human I blocked." He gazed sternly at Alonzo. "I would appreciate it if you didn't remind her, either. As far as she knows, she was separated from her family before she came to us."

"But she still doesn't know her name." Alonzo reminded Deuteronomy.

"A sad fact, yes, but a fact nonetheless." His expression turned thoughtful.

"She still has her gift," Alonzo said, remembering the morning after her transformation. "I think if she sees her own reflection long enough, she'll find her name. But she won't go anywhere near anything she thinks might have a reflection."

"I think," said Deuteronomy, "that she needs to first accept she is a cat. No doubt she is thinking it is all very strange, and thinks she will change back any moment…" Deuteronomy stared at Alonzo, calculating. "Alonzo," he said finally. "I want you to spend time with her, make her comfortable being who she is."

"With all due respect, wouldn't that job be better suited for a queen?" Alonzo asked. His mind was reeling; why was this job put on his shoulders? He had already agreed to help her figure out her name.

Deuteronomy chuckled. "Word has reached my ears that you are helping her already. I will tell you this: to learn her name, she has to accept the inevitable. She will never be human again, and she has to understand that."

"Yes sir," Alonzo mumbled.

"Is there anything else?"

Alonzo shook his head, and turned away from the wall, dragging his paws the whole way back to the junkyard. How in Heaviside was he supposed to help her accept that she's a cat? He was winding through the tall piles of junk when he heard voices talking. He snuck closer, listening in on the conversation.

"Does he know?"

"No," Alonzo recognized Cassandra's voice, along with the new queen. "I'm too embarrassed to tell anyone else… I think the only solution is to leave for a while. I'll come back when I can."

Alonzo inched closer. What were they talking about?

=^..^=

I gave Cassandra a sympathetic hug. "If you feel like leaving for a while is best, I could go with you," I smiled. "It could be fun living on our own for a few months."

Cassandra laughed, laying back on the card table we were sitting on. "You know something," she said, looking at me. "You really are a good listener."

I shrugged. "So I've been told."

"You still don't have a name, do you?"

I shook my head sadly. "Alonzo thinks I could know it if I look at my reflection…" I wondered if it was true.

Cassandra smiled. "If you don't mind, I could give you a nickname," she offered. I smiled and nodded. "How about 'Ears'?"

I laughed. "Sounds good." I stretched out. "My name is Ears!" I sang out, making Cassandra laugh carelessly. I grinned at her. I could tell we would become good friends.

=^..^=

Alonzo chuckled as he continued along to the clearing. 'Ears' was getting along great with Cassandra, and he had a feeling he would be back with her soon enough. He reported to Munkustrap for the evening patrol, his happy thoughts lifting his paws higher than usual.

…

Cassandra felt much better as she padded back to her den. Ears agreed to meet her outside the junkyard after dark, when they would leave on 'vacation'. Jenny was the only other cat who knew why they were leaving… her being the one who'd diagnosed Cassandra's behavior in the first place. She gathered a few of her more treasured possessions, pausing at a small hand mirror. After some thought, she threw it into the sack as well. She would do what she could to help Ears find her real name.

**[A/N]**

**Yay! I like reviews! Special thanks to Maeline and demeterfan5556 for being my first notable readers, and for inspiring me to continue with what I'd originally done as scribbling on a page… :D**

***hint* If you review, I will thank you by name in my notes, which could lead to promoting stories… ;)**


	5. Chapter 5

**Here's a big ole shout out to all those who picked me up and dusted me off! You guys are great! I'm in a bit of pain because I got a little crazy with high-kicking a piñata, and landing on the ground… anyway! I'm glad I'm back in front of my computer, and have been typing like crazy (also using the backspace key like crazy… yeah). So after the craziness of landing on my rear in a parking lot and rehearsals all weekend, I am happy I can take a moment to relax and update my stories!**

I tossed blankets down into the wooden box Cassandra and I had found to be our temporary home. It wasn't far from the junkyard, just in case we needed help later on, and it was in a hidden corner of the city, so we were unlikely to be disturbed by humans. I reached down to the pile I was grabbing from, but stopped. Cassandra was supposed to be back by now… where was she? I sighed, and darted off to look for her.

=^..^=

"Isn't she pretty?"

Cassandra wriggled in the child's arms, trying to get herself free. A small boy had picked her up almost out of nowhere, and was now parading around his home with her in his arms. Five other children were crowded around, all of them patting and scratching in random places. Cassandra rolled her eyes as she felt one of them scratching her rump. Didn't humans know anything about boundaries?

One of the parents walked into the room and shrieked when she saw the slim Burmese queen. "We don't need another cat!" It was then Cassandra noticed a fat brown cat, and recognized him as Samuel. He looked rather surprised to see her there.

"Put that cat down," the parent said sternly. "I don't want you getting attached."

"But mo-om!"

"Look, another one!" the younger girl cried, pointing towards the door. Ears was there, trying to figure out how to get in the house to save her friend. Before she could dart away, the patchy queen was scooped up by the oldest boy, and he was snuggling her. Cassandra tried not to laugh at the expression on Ears' face.

"Can't… breath…" she muttered. All the humans heard, however, was a meow. This time, the dad came into the room.

"Put both of those cats outside, right now!"

To back up what he was saying, Samuel sauntered up to the two queens, hissing. "This is my home," he said smugly. "I'm not sharing it with any _street _cats."

The children, seeing their own cat's hostile nature, dropped the two queens out the open door, and they shot off through the yard, glad to be away.

…

"Do I know that tom from somewhere?" Ears asked. She had a very perplexed expression on her face as she stared at her paws.

Cassandra shook her head. "Probably not," she knew the truth, however… but even as she tried to recall the memory of that night, it wasn't there. Then how did she know that Ears and Samuel knew each other? She frowned and shoved the discomfort away.

…

Alonzo padded through the junkyard, keeping his eyes peeled for Cassandra. She hadn't been in her den, and no one had seen her—or the new queen, for that matter—for nearly a day. He saw Jennyanydots watching the younger kittens play, and decided to ask her.

"Good afternoon," he said, sitting beside her. Jenny glanced at the black and white tom.

"Looking for Cassandra?"

Alonzo smiled and nodded. He liked that Jenny always seemed to know what was bothering others.

"She's on a sort of vacation," Jenny explained, taking her eyes off the kittens for a moment. "She wanted to show the new queen around London."

Alonzo raised his eyebrows. "How long will they be gone?"

"Oh," Jenny pressed her lips into a tight line. "Until they are ready to come back, I suppose." She turned back to watching the kittens, leaving a very disappointed Alonzo alone with his thoughts.

…

Thanks to the word of Jenny, nobody went searching for the two missing queens… although Alonzo couldn't stop himself from exploring the nearby towns on his own. One day, almost two weeks later, a small slip of paper appeared in the junkyard, addressed to Alonzo.

He unfolded the paper, staring at the lines on the page. He'd never learned to read and write; he was always the one to slack off in Jenny's lessons. After frustrating himself into a headache, he sought out Munkustrap.

"You can read, right?" Alonzo asked the silver tabby.

Munkustrap nodded. "Can't you? I thought you had classes with Jenny when you were younger,"

Alonzo scuffed his paws in the dirt. "I didn't pay enough attention."

Munkustrap rolled his eyes, but took the paper from Alonzo, scanning it quickly. Alonzo leaned over Munk's shoulder, urging him to read out loud. "'Alonzo,'" Munkustrap read, "'I am safe and well-looked after. Please don't worry about me. Cassandra.'"

Alonzo seized the paper, trying to decipher the worm-like scribbles. Was that really all it said? Munkustrap folded his arms disapprovingly.

"'Lonz, if you don't stop searching for her, I'm going to have to do something about it." He gripped the black-and-white tom's shoulders. "She's fine. There's no need to worry."

"If you say so…" Alonzo was still unsure, but he let the matter rest… for the time being.

**Ok, that was short. Psh. There will be some juicy stuff coming up, although I'm not exactly sure when.**


	6. Chapter 6

I crouched under the bushes, stalking a rat. I could see it ahead of me, cleaning crumbs from its whiskers. I tensed myself, poised to spring. Something behind me made a noise, and suddenly the rat was as alert as I was. To make matters worse, the wind shifted, sending my scent straight to the would-be prey. I burst from my hiding place in an attempt to catch the rat, but it was soon gone.

Growling to myself, I turned back to where I'd heard the noise. I could tell it had been a cat, and I grumpily padded over to a nearby dumpster, where I could see a shadow and a pair of eyes hiding behind. I recognized the figure almost instantly.

"Alonzo, get out here."

He emerged slowly and sat in front of me; the expression on his face reminded me of a kitten being scolded.

"Why are you following me?"

"I want to see Cassandra!" Alonzo practically yelled. "It's been almost a month since you two were at the junkyard…" He clamped his mouth shut.

"You're worried about her."

Alonzo nodded. I sighed.

"She's perfectly fine. Didn't you get the—" I stopped and sniffed the air. Something was definitely not right. Without another word, I dashed off towards the den, not caring that Alonzo was right behind me.

I poked my head into the den, blocking the view from Alonzo. "Are you alright?"

"She'll be fine if you come with me."

My fur bristled at the voice. I'd never heard it before, but I could tell the tom it belonged to was one of power and influence. I backed away from the den, stumbling as a tall ginger cat advanced out of the shadows. Alonzo was suddenly hissing and spitting at the tom, who merely sat coolly in the alleyway.

"Who are you?" I asked cautiously. There was a name in my head, but I was too scared to say it out loud.

He laughed manically, sending shivers down my spine. "Oh, I think you know my name. But like I said before, you come with me and I don't hurt that queen or her kitten."

I swallowed and Alonzo froze. This was NOT how I'd planned for him to find out. "Fine." I glared at the ginger tom. He huffed a bit. "Odd. I was expecting more resistance from a Jellicle," He stood and began shoving me along the alley. "If you follow," he called back to Alonzo; he looked ready to kill. "I will kill that queen in the box."

I shot a glance back at Alonzo, who was now leaning in to check on Cassandra. I turned away, not wanting to see his face, and allowed myself to be led away by Macavity.

=^..^=

Alonzo knelt in front of Cassandra, unable to take his eyes off her. She looked well taken care of, and was napping lightly. He swallowed at the sight of her swollen midsection. Was this really what it was all about? Her mood swings, her distance from him? He sat back, content to wait until she woke up.

=^..^=

I sat with my back to the large mirror in the room. No way would I look without a fight. But… why? Why was I being so resistant to looking at my own reflection? I'd been a cat my whole life, so why would seeing myself be so bad? I shook my head. Something inside me told me it was _not right_ to be a cat. And that was just plain weird.

Macavity sat in a large arm chair across the room, watching me. He'd said as soon as we got to his hide-out (not a very good one… just a seldom-used storage room at the back of a grocery store) that he wanted to ruin Deuteronomy's plans. I had no idea what he meant by that, but as soon as a broken mirror was brought into the room, I was against his own plans.

"We can do this the easy way," Macavity said, eyeing me. "Or we can do this the hard way."

I grinned devilishly. "I'm up for a fight." He leapt off his throne and stalked towards me, a hungry look in his eyes. My breath caught in my throat as I realized what he had in mind.

"You creep." I said coldly.

Macavity said nothing, but charged straight at me, ramming me into the mirror and shattering the whole thing.

=^..^=

Cassandra didn't know what she expected to see when she woke up, but she certainly didn't think she'd see Alonzo. His eyes were shut, and his arms were folded across his chest, but Cassandra could tell he wasn't asleep. Being as quiet as possible, she pulled one of the many blankets up over herself and drifted back to sleep.

…

The next time Cassandra opened her eyes, she saw Alonzo sitting in the same position, but with a pair of rats in front of him.

"This isn't really a good reason to go on vacation, Cassandra." He said softly. Cassandra felt her heart nearly rip in two as she saw the love in his eyes. She really didn't want to tell him what happened…

"I… I don't really know where to start…"

Alonzo raised an eyebrow. "The beginning, I suppose. But I didn't think there would be much to explain."

Cassandra ducked her eyes. "There is so much to explain." She whispered. She bit her lip as Alonzo waited for her to start. "A while ago, I went off to have some alone time. You remember that?" Alonzo nodded, and Cassandra drew in a shaky breath before continuing. "I didn't think I'd run into anybody, and for a day or so, it was great. I had so much time to think and just… _be._ I didn't have to worry about responsibility, or anyone else, and I could focus on just me.

"Well, after about three days, I wanted to go back; but since Jenny promised me a week, I wasn't going to come back early. I came a bit closer to the junkyard, but I stayed out." She swallowed against the lump in her throat; this was the hard part. "Sometimes, it's impossible to stay in control over everything. I never meant to hurt you, Alonzo." Cassandra scrubbed away the tears as they formed. "I don't know what came over me, but when I saw Tugger," her voice broke when she said the name. "I just couldn't stop myself," she was crying now, and praying fervently that she wouldn't have to continue.

Alonzo was numb. She was pregnant with _Tugger's _kitten? He felt like a hole had been punched in his chest. What to do?

=^..^=

I wiped blood out of my eyes, feeling the sting of the cut on my forehead. When the mirror had broken, one of the shards fell right on top of me, narrowly missing my eye. In the craziness of trying—and failing—to avoid Macavity's attack, I had seen my reflection several times, and now only one name was running through my head. Macavity was now trying to get me to say it out loud.

"You don't want this to happen again, do you?" he said, waving a paw at the trashed room. I scowled at him, but kept my mouth shut. Macavity sighed. "It seems you need a little more persuasion." I closed my eyes, trying to block out the pain of him slamming into me.

**[A/N] Ok, so I don't think I meant for this to be so intense… but whatever. That's all for now, folks! I bid you adieu, as I have a week of school and work ahead of me, and probably won't have my computer with me :( **

**Let me know what you think about this!**


	7. Chapter 7

**[A/N] Well, there's only a few chapters left—like, one or two—and I'm super stoked about it! (not the fact that it'll be done, but that everyone else will know what happens) So without further ado, I give you the next chapter!**

"Believe it or not, I'm trying to help you."

I scowled at Macavity, who was watching me from his chair. I rolled my eyes and went back to licking my cuts clean, making sure there was no glass hidden away.

"You said you were trying to thwart Deuteronomy's plans. How is that helping me?"

He didn't answer, but he tossed a folded piece of thick paper towards me. "That can answer your question."

Eyeing the ginger tom carefully, I picked up the paper and unfolded it. It was a family portrait, printed in sepia and small enough to fit in a bedside-sized picture frame. There were seven children, though the three in the back—two girls and a boy—looked more like adults than kids. "Why should this answer my question?"

"Study the girl in the middle of the back row," Macavity said. "Tell me her name."

I frowned as I looked at the particular girl. She seemed familiar… somehow. I shook my head. "I don't know any humans. I've been a street cat my whole life."

"Have you?" Macavity sneered. "How long has that been?"

This caught me off guard. I opened my mouth several times, trying to remember my age. My subconscious mind was telling me a number in the teens, but that couldn't possibly be right… could it? "Two years…" I said slowly, deciding it was most plausible.

Macavity laughed. "Try two months."

I scoffed at his judgment. "I'm not a kitten, you idiot."

Macavity leapt off his chair and advanced towards me. I backed up cautiously; there were still shards of the mirror on the floor. "You've been a cat for two months. Before that, you were the human girl I pointed out to you."

My face went red, and I bit my lip—to keep from laughing. Macavity was truly insane. Sure, I had no memories from before two months ago, but that didn't mean I was _human!_ The idea was purely impossible. I struggled to control my impending laughter. "Uh-huh. Ok," I snorted a bit. "Um, it's clear that you are not completely right in the head," I swallowed. "And you need professional medical help."

"I'm not crazy, Cassie."

_That was unexpected,_ I thought. I shook my head. "You must be mistaken. My name isn't Cassie."

Macavity raised an eyebrow at me. "Oh really?"

"Yes, really. Cassandra already has that name. It wouldn't really be particular if it was mine too, would it?"

"Cassie, tell me something," Macavity continued calmly. My ear twitched at the sound of the name. _Why did it seem so right for him to be calling me that??_ "Do you honestly think you've been a cat your whole life?"

I rolled my eyes. "I think we've established that, yes. It's impossible to change a human into a cat."

"There are four perfectly capable conjures in that junkyard tribe, Cassie—"

"STOP CALLING ME THAT! MY NAME IS KROOVA!!" I lunged at his throat, my teeth bared.

…

I struggled under the weight of one of Macavity's henchcats, glaring at the ginger tom. He was massaging his throat, gingerly feeling the scratches I'd put there. "Take Kroova out of here. I never want to see this queen again." The tom on top of me nodded and began dragging me out of the room. I broke free of his grip and tore through the storage room, running as fast as I could.

=^..^=

The henchcat returned to Macavity's chamber to clean the mess. After a while, he looked up from his work.

"With all due respect, sir, why did you let her go?"

"She has accepted that she's a cat, and will never be human again." Macavity said, bored. "That's why she needed to say her own name out loud."

"But sir," the henchcat scratched his head. "Forgive my ignorance, but why?"

Macavity sighed. It was pointless to explain anything to brainless cats. "She just needed to know, and that alone would ruin Deuteronomy's plans. He wanted that life erased from her mind completely." He surveyed the work done by the henchcat. "That is all. You're dismissed." The henchcat bowed low and left the room.

=^..^=

Alonzo watched Cassandra, contemplating. She wouldn't look at him, and was still crying. He sighed and knelt in front of her.

"Hey," he said, pulling her chin up. "Nobody's perfect. Can you imagine how boring the world would be if we were?" He laughed a little, and the corner of Cassandra's mouth lifted. He sat against the wall, letting her lean on his shoulder. "I don't care what sort of mistakes you've made." He squeezed her paw. "I want you to know that I'll love you no matter what."

Cassandra sniffed, wiping the moisture from her eyes. "I love you, too." Alonzo smiled softly and pulled her into a hug.

=^..^=

I ran the whole way back, my name repeating itself in my head. Macavity was wrong; but for some reason, I kept hearing his words, _you were the human girl I pointed out to you._ I turned into the alley, slowing my steps. I put my ear to the wall, and could hear muffled voices. I listened closer, and could tell Alonzo was still there. That was one conversation I didn't want to interrupt. Instead, I settled to wait in the alley.

…

I had fallen asleep on a pile of stuff, and was brought back by a sharp cry of pain. I was instantly alert, listening for another one. There it was. I was off without another thought, pounding as fast as I could towards the junkyard.

I found Jenny in the center clearing, scolding Electra and Etcetera about something or other. I skidded to a stop next to her.

"What is it dear?" Jenny asked. (I was panting for breath)

"Cassandra…" I struggled to control my breathing. "She needs you."

Jenny's eyes went big, and she hurried off, leaving two very confused queen-kittens behind. I sat down to catch my breath. Jenny stopped at the edge of the clearing, watching me with concern. I waved her off.

"I'm just a little dizzy from running," I said. "Go, now!"

=^..^=

Alonzo stared at his paws. As soon as Jenny arrived, he'd been kicked out of the den. Now all he could do was sit and listen to the sounds of pain coming from inside. It was dark now, and jenny had been inside for several hours. He jumped at the sound of paws coming down the alley.

"Hey," it was Ears. Alonzo breathed a sigh of relief that he wouldn't have to sit alone any more. "How's it going in there?" she asked.

"I have no idea," Alonzo said, his head dropping. He noticed that she was wrapped in bandages. "Macavity did that to you?"

She smiled cockily. "Don't worry," she said. "I gave as good as I got."

"How did you escape?"

"He let me go," she said, frowning. "After a few hours, he seemed satisfied and just… let me go."

"What do you think he was satisfied with?" Alonzo watched her face.

She rolled her eyes. "He wanted to interrupt Deuteronomy's plan… whatever that means." She shrugged. "In any case, I learned what my name is."

Alonzo sat upright. "How did this happen?"

She laughed. "He forced me to look at a mirror."

"So… What's your name?"

"Kroova," she said, smiling a little. "It's amazing, isn't it? Knowing your own name. I feel complete now."

"Yeah," Alonzo had to smile. Kroova seemed happy now, without a hint of confusion in her countenance. "Kroova, huh?" He leaned back. It wasn't the sort of name he expected, but it fit her; short and sweet.

**So there ya go. You now know my OC's name! Believe me, I had a hard time deciding it! **

**My sister was just reading this through and she asked a question, which I will answer; yes, Cassandra is in labor… a week early. Not so good :/ Can't wait to see what happens next!**


	8. Chapter 8

Cassandra fell back on her the pillows, exhausted. Who knew bringing a kitten into this world would be so much work? Jenny busied herself with cleaning the kit, and when the little creature was dry, Jenny handed the bundle to Cassandra.

"Oh my…"

It was the tiniest queen she'd ever seen. She mewed softly and snuggled closer to her mother, and Cassandra felt her heart melt. She looked up at Jenny, who was on the verge of tears.

"You're lucky," she said to the new mother. "Most premature kittens don't make it."

"She looks just like her daddy…" Cassandra watched the little queen with love in her eyes. She looked back up at Jenny. "Will you…?"

"I'll be back before you know it!" Jenny beamed, and bustled out of the den.

=^..^=

Alonzo had fallen asleep on my shoulder by the time Jenny emerged from the den. She smiled at the two of us, and I shrugged. I gently leaned the black and white tom against the wall and walked over to the Gumbie Cat.

"How is she?"

"Oh, they're both doing great!" Jenny wiped her paws on a towel.

I glanced at Alonzo. "He's not really going to like this,"

"What do you mean?" Jenny asked, heading over to the tom.

"Isn't Tugger the father?" I frowned at her; she was shaking Alonzo awake.

"Cassandra just asked me to send you in," she said to Alonzo. He looked slightly dazed, but followed the Gumbie cat into the den. I lingered at the door, curious about what Jenny was up to. Cassandra beamed up at Alonzo, who had his eyes locked on the kitten in Cassandra's arms.

"Can I hold her?" He asked hesitantly. He held out his arms as Jenny picked up the bundle. Alonzo uncovered the little queen just enough for me to see. I gasped. She was almost an exact carbon copy of Alonzo, right down to the little black patch by her mouth.

"What should we name her?" Cassandra asked.

Alonzo shook his head, baffled. I smiled; of course, the moment I'd seen her, the kitten's name popped into my head, but I wanted to see if they could guess it. They sat together, toying with a few names, but none of them seemed right. Finally, Alonzo sighed.

"Kroova?" He looked at me expectantly. Both Cassandra and Jenny looked confused for a moment, but then realized he was talking to me. I smiled at them.

"Liebe," I said, "It means love."

=^..^=

Macavity waited patiently. He knew his top thief would be here soon; what burglar wasn't attracted to an easy steal? The pearls had been placed in the cabinet days before, and with the now unused cat flap in the door, it would be easy for any creature to get in and out. Finally, shadows were moving across the walls, and two cats acrobatically wound through the house. Macavity cringed. Of _course_ he would bring his partner with him.

When the two stopped in front of the unlocked cabinet, Macavity jumped down, surprising them both.

"I though' we agreed you wouldn' drop in on our jobs?" Mungojerrie sat back and folded his arms, looking slightly bored.

Macavity narrowed his eyes. "Living with those Jellicles has made you bold, hasn't it?"

Rumpelteazer scoffed. "Th' livin's lots bettah than when we was livin' wiv you."

Snarling, Macavity shut both of them up. "Listen. I need you two to turn spy for me." Rumpelteazer narrowed her eyes, and Mungojerrie scowled. Macavity continued. "If you don't, you know what I'll do." He extended his sharpened claws and slashed at Rumpelteazer, making her yelp and leap back. Mungojerrie stood protectively in front of her while she inspected herself for scratches.

"There is a queen who is new to the tribe." He said, sitting back. "Her name is Kroova, and I have reason to believe she stole something from me. I want you two to watch her and report back to me if it shows up."

"Wha' exac'ly are we lookin' for?" Mungojerrie asked suspiciously.

"Oh, I think you will know when you see it," he assured them. "But it might be a while before she feels… obligated to bring it out in the open. Two months at the most."

Behind Jerrie, Rumpelteazer rolled her eyes. "We're on a job fo' two months? Ye've nevah done one tha' long before."

Macavity raised an eyebrow. "There's a first time for everything." He turned and headed for the cat flap in the door. "Oh, and I don't care if you keep the pearls. They were Griddlebone's anyway." With a flick of his tail, he was gone, leaving two very confused cat burglars behind.

**[A/N] Ok, so this one is REALLY short… but whatever. I got what I wanted in!**


	9. Chapter 9

The day of the Jellicle ball, I began to feel uneasy. From what I'd heard about Macavity from the others, he wasn't the type of cat to just let someone go. I was constantly on my guard, and jumped at the slightest movement. My ears twitched at any sound, and there were some times that I just wanted to crawl in a hole and stay there. He was going to find me, I just knew it. He wouldn't be in the best of moods, and because of some… strange turns of events, I knew that, in one way or another, my life was in danger.

The Jellicles were setting up some last minute decorations when I'd had enough. I was tired of waiting around for the Hidden Paw to come find me. I walked as fast as I could towards the entrance of the junkyard, not having the slightest clue as to where I would go after that. I wasn't at all surprised when I heard paw-steps behind me.

"Kroova, wait!"

I stopped and turned to see Alonzo running out after me.

"Are you really leaving?" He asked.

I nodded. "I'm sorry, 'Lonz, but I can't stay in one place. Living with this tribe…" I looked affectionately towards the junkyard. "It was practically paradise, but I don't belong here."

Alonzo was dumbfounded. "Of course you do! You're part of the tribe now," he said, reminding me of my little 'initiation' the week before. I grimaced.

"Well, I really am sorry, but I just can't live in one spot for very long." I smiled weakly, not liking the hurt in his eyes. "I'm a nomad at heart, Alonzo. I need to live on my feet to be satisfied." I tried hard not to make my excuse sound rehearsed, but that was what it was; I'd guessed that someone would try to get me to stay.

He worked his jaw a bit, trying to make sounds. He cleared his throat. "At least stay for the ball," he was all but begging.

"It sounds like a lot of fun," I reasoned. "But trust me, the shorter I stick around, the safer everyone else will be." I mentally kicked myself. I did not mean to say that.

Alonzo suddenly understood. "You think Macavity is still after you, don't you?"

I nodded reluctantly. "He'll be able to hurt someone in the tribe if that's where he finds me. But if I'm on my own, I'm the only one he could hurt." I bit my lip, hoping Alonzo would let me go. "I'll come back if I don't like what I find out there." I added, knowing full well that I wouldn't come back.

Alonzo still looked uncertain, but he said, "I guess you know whats best for you," he looked sad, and I couldn't blame him. I placed a paw on his shoulder, dipping my head in thanks one last time before running off down the road.

=^..^=

"Where's Kroova?" Cassandra asked as Alonzo traipsed back to the center clearing. She had Liebe on her lap, and the younger queens were cooing and tickling her gently.

"She…" Alonzo didn't know what to say. He sighed. "She had to leave."

The entire clearing fell silent, everyone having heard Alonzo's remark. They all looked around, trying to figure out what would prompt such an act. Jenny wrung a towel in her paws, naturally worried about the safety of another creature. Rumpelteazer tried hard to keep tears from her eyes, and Mungojerrie put a comforting arm around her, even though he too was blinking back moisture. Munkustrap was the first to speak.

"Well, let's continue with the preparations. It was her choice to leave, and there's nothing we could do about it." He tried to act blunt about it, but everyone could hear the strain in his voice. It was then that they realized; in the short time Kroova had been with them, they had all grown to love the tough American queen.

=^..^=

~Three Months Later~

Samuel trudged into the junkyard, leading a small tom by the paw. The tom was barely able to walk, and his eyes were huge and bright at the scenery around him. He was almost completely white, with a couple tell-tale patches of grey that blended neatly into the rest of his fur.

Munkustrap greeted Samuel in the center clearing. Samuel spoke before the protector had a chance to speak his mind.

"This kitten was abandoned by his mother, who cannot take care of him. She requested he be brought here, where he can be raised well."

Munkustrap watched the small kitten as he half-hid behind Samuel. He was clutching in his paw a crumpled bit of paper. "Who is his mother?"

Samuel pressed his mouth into a line. "She… her identity is to remain known only to me."

Liebe, who'd been watching from behind Cassandra's legs, suddenly bounded up to the tom, startling him. "What's your name?" she asked, smiling at the other kitten.

He craned his neck, peering up at Samuel who, apparently, knew the answer. Samuel bent down, grimacing in pain from his arthritis, and whispered something into the tom's ear.

"Pike," he said quietly; he was watching Liebe cautiously. The little queen grinned.

"You wanna play, Pike?"

Pike nodded, looking up at Samuel again. He stretched out his paw, offering the paper to the older tom before scampering off after Liebe.

"What's that?" Munkustrap said, nodding at the paper.

Samuel folded it up neatly. "A note for someone. I am sorry, but I must deliver this myself, as it is meant only for its recipient."

Munkustrap nodded. "Then by all means, deliver it. I can tell you are in some sort of a hurry, and you need to leave." He placed a paw on the old tom's shoulder. "We'll take care of Pike, don't worry."

Samuel nodded. "I know you will." He thanked Munkustrap, and waddled along, searching for the cat the note was meant for.

Nobody noticed the pair of watery blue-grey eyes watching from the roof of a nearby house.

=^..^=

Old Deuteronomy folded up the paper and sighed. It seemed Macavity was a part of the tribe no matter what he did to prevent it. The Hidden Paw would always have ties, whether he liked it or not.

**[A/N] I would like to thank all of my readers, especially those who have reviewed and given me cause to keep writing! I love you guys, and I love reading your reviews, so by all means, continue to do so! You guys are great!**


	10. Chapter 10

~Two months previous to the end of chapter 9~

I ran, running as fast as I could with my swollen belly. I had no idea where I was in Europe, but I could guess I was somewhere in the Irish countryside. Macavity was following me, I knew it. It had just been henchcats at first, but as soon as my pregnancy became obvious, the Mystery Cat himself started after me. I glanced up at the sky; dark clouds were beginning to roll in, and I knew it was going to start raining soon.

To my left was a field, and across it I could see a barn standing alone. It was slim that it would be warm in there, but I darted off, cutting across the field; at least the barn had a roof.

Rain was coming down in huge drops by the time I reached the door. It was tightly closed, but there was a space in the boards just big enough for me to squeeze through. It was dark inside, but I could tell something was already living there. I smelled horses, hay, a cow, and several cats. Suddenly I was scared. My fur stood on end, and I could hear one of the cats coming towards me.

My first impression was that she was big, and black. Her yellow eyes glowed in the dark, watching me. I wished my fur was any other color than white.

"What's yer name?" The large queen demanded, rather than asking.

I swallowed against the lump in my throat. "Kroova," I said warily. She'd begun to circle me, stopping when she saw my stomach.

"What were ye doin' out in the weather, then?" she suddenly had a kinder tone, and ushered me into a stall that revealed two more queens and five sleeping kittens, three toms and two queens. The moved over to make room for me, and the large black queen helped me down onto the hay.

"So," she asked. "Where are ye from?"

"I lived in a junkyard in London for a while, but before that, I have no idea."

One of the queens, a scruffy calico, cocked her head. "Ye sound like yer from America. Tell me, how does a stray cat get from America to London, then to Ireland?"

I shook my head. "That's what I don't know. According to the tribe leader from the junkyard, I had some kind of trauma-induced memory loss."

"Well," the third queen, a light brown Main Coon, said. "That'll be ignored for the time bein'. Ye can stay here as long as ye please." She fluffed the fur around her neck, and I could tell it was her top grooming priority.

I smiled. "Thank you," I said. Suddenly I stiffened. I could smell Macavity in the barn. I knew the other queens could smell him too, but they simply settled into the hay. The black queen continued talking.

"My name is Taru," she said. "This is Griffyn," she pointed to the calico, "and Raena. Our kits don't have names yet."

I fought to keep calm. "Why not?"

Raena blinked at me. "Here, we name ourselves when we come of age," she said it as if it were obvious.

"For now," Griffyn said, smiling, "we just say, 'Oi! You!'"

I tried to laugh along with them, but my stomach was too tight. Suddenly there was loud snarling and hissing, and I could hear several cats fighting. I glanced out of the stall, but Taru pulled me back in. "Our mates can take care of any intruders. They would have attacked you," she said seriously, "If Griffyn hadn't pulled them back."

I shivered, hoping their toms were strong enough fighters to face Macavity. Griffyn looked curiously at me.

"Somethin tells me you know who's out there."

I nodded. "I've been running from him for almost a month. He's dangerous," I said softly. Just then, a blinding flash of light flooded the barn, startling all the animals. I wriggled deeper into the hay, trying not to be seen and hoping Macavity had disappeared in the flash of light. I was wrong.

The ginger tom strutted up to the stall we were in, looking as though he'd just been talking a walk, not fighting several barn-toms. He smiled at me maliciously. "Kroova, you know that you don't need to run from me."

I swallowed. I knew the other queens were looking at me, and the kittens were now awake, startled by the light. "Then you have no reason to look for me." I unsheathed my claws, desperately hoping I wouldn't need them.

Macavity laughed. "You know my rules, Kroova. Once you enjoy my hospitality once, you have the privilege of staying there longer."

"You call that hospitality?" I spat. He was disgusting, and I wanted nothing more than to slit his throat. My face burned, and I felt a small kick from my kit—_his _kit. I stood up, showing off my round stomach. "You call _this_ hospitality?" The three queens around me gasped.

Taru pulled me back down, a dangerous look in her eyes. "I don't know the customs in London," she said, growling. "But I do know that here it's the highest crime to force this on a queen."

"The absolute highest," Griffyn agreed. "Rae, what do we do with such criminals?"

Raena grinned wickedly. "We don't let 'em see the mornin' sun."

By now, the toms had recovered and were hissing behind Macavity; they'd heard it all. Taru, Griffyn, and Raena, and even two of the tomkits, were all prepared to fight. Macavity merely smiled, amused that the barn cats would try to take him on.

It was an amazing fight to watch. Taru threw all her weight on top of Macavity, pinning him to the ground and knocking the breath out of him momentarily. Raena went at him with her claws, but Macavity threw both her and Taru back. A dark red tom charged, his teeth bared. I didn't think this would work, but then I saw the two small tomkits attack Macavity's back legs, clawing with impossible speed.

I felt a small paw on me, and I looked down to see a brown tabby queenkit sitting next to me. "My brothers sharpen their claws a lot," she said quietly. I returned my eyes to the fight, somewhat satisfied to see Macavity's back legs torn up and bloody; he was trying to hide the fact that he had trouble walking.

Once again, Taru slammed into him, this time from the side. She collided with the wall, making it shake a bit. The other two grown toms circled, their teeth and claws bared for the kill. Raena and Griffyn came in closer, both of them snarling like no queen should. Griffyn lunged, and I realized something; to these cats, this was just a game… or maybe a training exercise. The only time I'd seen one of them hit him twice was Taru. I thought I saw a grin split Griffyn's face as she dug her claws into Macavity's ear.

The small queen beside me cocked her head at the fight. "You know, I think I will join this one." She bounded out without another word, hissing viciously. She sprang on Macavity's back, trying to get her short limbs all the way around his throat. Her claws were out and making noticeable damage; it appeared her brothers weren't the only ones who sharpened their claws.

Macavity spun and kicked, trying to get the queen off. But she already had her claws digging into his neck, and he was getting visibly weaker. Snarling, he did a sort of somersault, crushing the queen under his full weight. When she was off, he dashed towards the door, with the barn cats close on his tail. They stopped at the entrance, though, looking out into the pouring rain.

"He's… not there." The dark red tom said, astonished.

Taru nodded slowly. "Not a sign of him."

I shivered, knowing that if Macavity hadn't fled, he would be lying in the field, dead. I knew I would be safe with these cats.

=^..^=

_She can't hide forever behind those barn cats. She'll have to come out in the open. And when that day comes,_ Macavity thought, _I'll be waiting for her._

**[A/N] I've decided I like cliff hangers. And I ran into a stray cat today, and its nails were extremely sharp… thus I gained inspiration for this chapter. :P**


	11. Chapter 11

~Two weeks before the end of chapter 9~

"Are you sure about this?"

I rolled my eyes at Taru, despite my weariness. Tomorrow morning I would be gone, taking Pike back to the junkyard where he would be safe. He wiggled a bit in my arms as I wrapped him in a blanket. "It's the only way I can think of to keep them both safe."

Taru adjusted Vail in her arms, trying to hold the squirming queen kitten. The last thing anyone expected was for me to give birth to twins. They were identical in almost every way, with the exception that Vail had a patch of ginger on her left ear, where Pike had a patch of grey. It was that little patch of ginger that made me decide who was going to the junkyard, and who was staying in Ireland with the barn cats.

"Momma," Vail said, reaching her paws out. She was far more adventurous than her brother, who seemed almost scared to learn how to walk and talk. "Don't go momma," she pleaded. Her blue-grey eyes seemed like big, round saucers as she looked at me from Taru's arms.

I smiled at her. "I'm just going for a walk with Pike," I said, hating myself for it. I didn't know when I would see her again. I forced my eyes to stay dry as I lied to my daughter. "I'll be back before you know it."

Vail poked her tongue out at her brother, who retaliated by waving his fist around. "He can't even walk yet. Can I come too?"

"No," I said firmly. "You need to stay here with Taru."

"Alright, little lady," Taru said. "Enough questions. It's time for bed."

Vail whined a little as she was passed up to the loft where the kittens slept. Taru returned to sit in front of me, watching Pike as he drifted off to sleep in his blanket. "They're both sweet kittens. 'Tis a shame they can't grow up together."

"Believe me, I wish they could." I brushed a bit of Pike's long headfur out of his face. "I would love nothing more than to raise them myself."

"Then why don't you?" Griffyn trotted over from the ladder once she'd been satisfied that all the kittens were settled in the hay. "We can keep you safe from Macavity, we've already fought him off once before."

"He ran for it," I said, frowning. "He'll more than likely bring more fighters if he comes back. I can't hurt you guys like that."

"At least come back to stay with us."

I bit my lip. If Macavity found out about Vail, I didn't know what I would do. The plan was to get Pike into the Jellicle tribe, and hopefully he would be protected there, and Macavity would never find out about Vail. It might seem normal to him for me to return to Ireland, but I was unsure. I hugged Pike closer to my chest.

"I feel like I'm being torn in two," I muttered. "I'll come back when I'm sure Pike is safe."

…

Pike clung to my back, blabbering non-stop about each and every thing he saw on our journey. He couldn't make coherent words yet; he was too shy to talk around anyone but me.

"Dere'sa birdie, momma," he said, pointing. "Itsa blue birdie, seeda blue birdie, momma?"

I smiled. "Yes, I see it. Do you know what its called?"

Pike shook his head, watching the bird as it pecked at a small road-side birdfeeder.

"It's called a blue jay." I loved how much Pike was learning. He really was an intelligent tomkit, but he seemed timid and shy around others; unless it was Vail, of course. Those two got into all sorts of trouble, usually at the prompting of Vail.

Pike considered this. "Blue jay." He said, as if he were the one to decide the species of the bird.

I smiled at him, and he grinned right back. "Do you want to try walking?" I asked, knowing full well he'd refuse.

True to his character, Pike shook his head vehemently. "I wanna ride th' whole way."

I sighed. I just didn't know how I'd get him walking on his own. We'd been going for about eight days, and not once had Pike asked when we'd be going back to the barn. I figured he was simply ecstatic to have me to himself.

"Momma?"

"Hmm?"

"When're we gonna go back?"

_Speak of the devil,_ I thought. I smiled. "We're going to visit a friend of mine. She has a daughter, someone for you to play with." I wondered how Liebe was doing as I said it.

Pike wrinkled his nose. "I dunno her though."

I laughed. "That's ok," I assured. "It'll be easy to make friends." I wished, not for the first time on our trip, that I could stay and help him get used to the cats of the tribe.

…

The streets of London seemed different after being gone for so long. Pike was asleep on my back, wrapped in the blanket like a sort of sling. I followed a familiar path, walking silently along to the junkyard. My heart was thumping loudly and my fur stood on end. Someone was watching me, I could tell. I forced myself to keep going, but I moved Pike so that I was holding him in my arms. He stirred, and suddenly he was awake.

"Where are we, momma?"

His constant chatter on our trip had greatly improved his speech, and he'd taken a few steps before demanding to ride. I smiled down at him, but it was merely a mask.

"We're almost to my friend's home. Go back to sleep."

I heard heavy paw-steps behind me, and my breath slowly hiked to hyperventilation. I tensed to run, gripping Pike tightly.

"Kroova?"

I froze at the voice, surprised. Why did I know that voice? It wasn't Macavity… I turned around. Samuel was leaning against a fence and staring at me curiously. I smiled and allowed myself to relax.

"Hello, Samuel. Are you headed to the junkyard?"

He nodded. "The going is slow, but I'll get there eventually."

I checked to see if Pike had drifted back to sleep. He had. "Could you do me a favor, Samuel? Take Pike there with you."

Samuel heaved himself up and came to examine the tomkit in my arms. "You can't take care of him, can you?" He wasn't accusing me, but he sounded sad.

"I know he'll be safe there."

Samuel was silent as he watched Pike. "I will take him."

I smiled at the old tom. "Thank you," I said. I pulled a folded piece of paper out of the blanket. "Would you give this to Old Deuteronomy as well?" Samuel nodded and took the paper.

"He can walk, right?"

"A bit," I said, setting Pike down on the grass. "He's really shy, and won't talk much."

"And why can't you take care of him?"

I swallowed, trying to get rid of the lump that was forming in my throat. "You can read the note," I said. "It'll explain everything." I turned to go, but paused. I turned back and kissed Pike on the forehead. "Goodbye," I said softly. Then I started running.

=^..^=

Vail was curled up against the other kittens fast asleep when a paw touched her shoulder. She looked up and saw the figure of a tom in the moonlight. He held a paw to his lips, signaling for her to stay quiet, and beckoned for her to follow.

Outside, he started walking, and Vail felt it only natural to follow. He looked like Rascal, but his fur seemed the wrong shade to be dark red. Out in the middle of the field, he sat and faced Vail.

"Where is your mother?"

Vail shrugged. "She's been gone for a couple weeks. I don't know where she went." She gazed curiously at the tom in front of her. "What's your name?"

"Macavity."

She cocked her head at the name. She'd heard Taru and Griffyn mention it a couple of times, but she never paid attention. "How do you know my mom? Are you friends?"

Macavity chuckled. "Friends? Hardly. What's your name?"

"I'm Vail."

Macavity smiled. "Vail, do you want to know something?"

Vail grinned. "Like a secret?"

"Yes," Macavity nodded. "Something your mother didn't want you to know,"

Vail leaned forward in anticipation; she loved secrets.

"I am your father."

Vail gasped. Her mom had said numerous times that her father was dead, but here was a tom claiming to be her father. She took a second look at his fur. _Ginger,_ she realized, reaching up to touch her left ear. _So that's where it came from._ Suddenly, she felt hurt. Why did her mom lie to her? And again, when she'd said she would be right back. That was two weeks ago. She scowled at her paws. Living with the barn cats didn't seem so inviting anymore.

"Can I come with you?" She asked suddenly. Macavity grinned and threw a paw across her small shoulders, leading her out of the field.

**[A/N] I don't know why I forgot to do this in the first place... **

**~FIN~**


	12. Chapter 12

**Please disregard all contents of the previous chapter 12... one of my friends kidnapped my computer and thought it would be funny to update one of my stories for me. Not.**

I hurried along the country road, watching the fields on my left for the moment when I would regain sight of the barn. The waves of vegetation seemed to stretch endlessly on, as if they didn't want me to be reunited with Vail. I saw the roof of the barn in the distance, and I didn't wait for my usual spot to cross the field. I jumped across the ditch, full out sprinting through the waves of green.

The door of the barn was tightly closed as usual, but there were some boards in front of the gap in the wall. I pushed and pulled at them, but they wouldn't budge. "Taru!" I yelled. "Griffyn! Raena!" Nobody answered. I circled the barn, searching for another way in. When I made a full circuit, I found nothing. Then I noticed that the ground was stamped flat outside another gap. It looked like they'd run for it, and pretty quickly, too. I examined the gap; there was a board blocking it from the inside, so I pushed at it... but nothing happened. I examined the board more closely. It had a small arrow scratched on it, pointing to the right. Curious, I turned my head to the right. I saw nothing, nothing but endless fields. I sighed and looked back at the board. Maybe if I swing it...

The board gave way when I slid it to the right, and I slipped into the barn. It was dark inside, and silent. No horses snorting, no sound of the cow chewing its cud. I could smell them, but it was a stale scent. My fur stood on end as the silence pressed into my ears. I cautiously padded through the barn, wishing there was some indication of life inside the dark space.

When I reached the ladder, I smelled all the barn cats; it seemed like they'd gone up and down many times. I climbed the ladder. Up in the loft, the older cats' scents stopped just beyond the edge. I ventured into the center of the loft, where my fur _really_ stood up. I could smell Macavity. His scent ended right where Vail's was heaviest; where she'd slept. I went numb. Macavity knew about Vail after all, and she was probably lying dead somewhere. I held my breath, trying to stop my tears from falling. And now the barn cats were gone to Everlasting Cat knew where. I hugged my knees to my chest, wishing none of this had ever happened. I tried to think back to when it all started... Macavity had come to Cassandra's and my den to take me away... Oh, how long ago that seemed. Now I was a mother of two, with no hope of seeing either of them again.

=^..^=

Vail was fascinated with Macavity's lair. It was full of cats, each of them looking more vicious than the next. Some of them looked like they wanted to lash out at her, but something stopped them. _I look too much like my father,_ she realized. With that thought, she slowed her pace, adding as much strutting attitude she could for her young age. Macavity paused ahead and looked back at her. When he saw her new attitude, he grinned proudly. She took her time catching up to him, and when she did, he led her into his private room.

"I want to find out if you have any powers," he said, sitting himself in a large armchair. Vail looked at him, frowning. Macavity sighed. "Like this," he stretched out his paw and shot a bolt of energy at the wall, leaving a black scorch mark. Vail stared at the spot with awe. She then noticed many other spots, some with odd shapes in the center... she didn't even want to guess at what he'd shot at.

Picturing what Macavity had done, she closed her eyes. She could feel energy boiling inside her, and she tried to focus it into a stream. She stretched out her paw, and a blast of light filled the room. It didn't do any damage, but it did leave light spots dancing in Vail's eyes. Macavity looked impressed.

"It took me a while to get that far," he admitted. "You must have a lot of hard feelings bottled up inside of you."

"I just found out that my mother lied to me," she mumbled. She scowled at her paws, which were glowing slightly. "That's a good reason for holding anger inside." She noticed that she spoke with the same accent as her mother--_as Kroova_, she corrected. She didn't want to think of that queen as her mother--she mentally worked to speak more like Macavity.

Macavity hopped down from his chair. "This is the best way to let it out," he said, placing a paw on her shoulder. "Now, this time channel all your energy into your paw," he advised, holding her arm up straight. "You'll be causing damage soon enough."

=^..^=

I left the barn, not sure where I would go next. I exited the same way I came in, and once again saw the paw-prints. I looked at them for a moment before setting off along the path made by the barn cats.

...

I was nearing a house, probably belonging to the humans who owned the barn, when I was tackled by two small queens.

"Kroova, you came back!"

"We're so happy to see you again, Kroo!"

I struggled to get up, and hugged the two queen kittens. "I'm glad I'm back too," I said, smiling at them. "Where's everyone else?"

"They're in the shed," the brown tabby said. I wished for a moment that they had names... things would be so much easier. The two queens led me into the shed, where the other barn cats were gathered in a circle, watching the two oldest tom-kits play-fight. Taru and Rascal were shouting out advice to their son, while Griffyn and Breaker were doing the same for theirs.

"Don't let him see your back!"

"Keep your teeth bared. Make sure he knows you're serious!"

"Every time you blink, that is one more opportunity for him to strike; keep your eyes open, and stay alert!"

Raena noticed me enter with the two queen-kits, and trotted over to my side. She put an arm around her daughter's shoulder. "There's supposed to be a huge storm coming in a few days," She explained. "Our humans brought all the animals in from the barn to keep us safe."

"Where's Vail?"

Everyone had heard my question, and fell silent. The two in the center of the circle stopped, both of them looking solemn. Griffyn was the first to recover her voice. "Macavity came and kitnapped her." she said sadly. "He was here and gone in the middle of the night. We didn't know he was even there until we woke up the next morning."

I bit my lip. I had guessed that much, and now all that was left for me to do was accept the fact that I couldn't see Pike or Vail again. Better yet, pretend they aren't even my kittens. I slowly nodded. "Is it alright if I stay with all of you?" My voice cracked a bit.

Taru nodded, smiling sadly at me. "You're always welcome here."

**[A/N] I think I might do a sequel to this... but I don't know. Obviously, this has ties to My Brother, Romeo, so that sort of counts, but not really because the focus isn't Pike and Vail, like a real sequel would be. Anyway... I think this is a bit more of a resolved ending than what my friend had posted, so I hope you like it!**


	13. Chapter 14

"Talon, come over here please,"

Kroova sat patiently, waiting for her mate. He was wrestling with Rosa, one of the younger queens, and teaching her some of the finer points of the art. Kroova watched them for a moment. Rosa was keeping her back stiff; that would slow her down in any fight. She decided to help out the pair.

"Rosa, loosen your back," she called. "Or else you'll never end up on top."

Without a word, the brown tabby queen did as she was instructed, and suddenly found the strength to flip Talon on his back. She placed her paw, her razor sharp claws unsheathed, on his throat, and announced, "Dead."

"Impressive," Talon said as she let him up. "That's the first time ye've beaten me, Ro."

"Thanks," Rosa was beaming. Kroova chuckled to herself; the tabby had confided in her that beating Talon had been her goal for months now. Talon glanced at his mate, and grinned, and Kroova knew the battle wasn't over. The gold tom suddenly pinned Rosa on her back, and pressed is teeth gently into her neck. "Dead," he whispered.

Rosa gasped. "I can't believe I let me guard down," she lamented. Talon let her up, and she went off to find her brothers, probably to tell them about her fight.

"Shall we go next?" Talon joked. Kroova nuzzled him, purring.

"You know how I feel about fighting," she said softly.

"Mm, yeah. Always the pacifist." He chuckled and kissed her lightly. "So what did ye call me for?"

"Taru said her cousin invited us to a celebration with his tribe," Kroova explained. "We'll be leaving morning after next."

"Where is it?"

"London. Well, more like the countryside of London," Kroova said. "Taru said it's in a junkyard."

Talon studied Kroova's face for a moment. "Do you think it's the same one?" he asked softly. He'd been the only one she told where she had left Pike. Kroova closed her eyes and hugged Talon, burying her face in his fur.

"I sincerely hope not."

=^..^=

Vail strutted through the warehouse, glaring at any cat who dared come close. She wasn't a year old yet; she only had about two months to go, but she acted just as old and mature as her father. She smiled smugly at the thought. One word that Macavity was her father and cats practically fell to their knees. Or plotted against her life.

The ginger patch on her left ear had become her most prized possession, as it seemed to give her authority and power. She felt energy crackling through her, and she casually sent a bolt of lightning off in a random direction, chuckling when she heard a cat call out in pain. She climbed some steep, narrow stairs, headed for her father's den.

She pushed open the door to find the Hidden Paw in his usual spot; stretched out on the old arm chair. She didn't wait to approach him; just one more perk about being related.

"I have a request for you, father."

Macavity resisted the urge to roll his eyes. Vail was certainly a bold queen, but she was too predictable.

"You wish to have a…" Macavity pondered for a moment. "Nickname for yourself? That is something I cannot give you. You have to earn it."

Vail raised an eyebrow. "Actually I wanted to attend the Jellicle Ball."

Macavity let sparks fly. "Why would I let you do that?" He whirled around to face his daughter, pleased to see that—even though her arms were folded across her chest—she, too had sparks gathered around her paws.

"Because you have a _date_ with a certain white queen that night."

Macavity smiled. Maybe Vail wasn't as obvious as he thought. "You are right," he said. "Griddlebone did ask me to meet with her that night. But how did you know?"

Now it was Vail's turn to smile. "I've taught myself a trick or two." She said nonchalantly.

Macavity returned to his chair, thinking it over. If he let her go, he would be free of the stubborn queen for almost a whole night. None of the Jellicles knew about her, so they would let their guard down and let her in. He smiled, a plan forming in his mind.

"You may go," He said after a moment. "But I have something for you to do." He strode over to a locked cabinet, opened it, and pulled out a tiny vial of molasses-like liquid. He held the bottle up for her to see. "This is one of the most deadly poisons in the world. All you have to do is get one drop on any creature's fur, and they will be affected. It takes about two years to work, and the whole time the one who was poisoned is in pain. I want you to poison both Deuteronomy and Munkustrap."

Vail grinned wickedly, snatching the bottle away. "It shall be done as you command," she vowed.

=^..^=

Pike sat with his friend Arden as they watched several queens in secret.

"Who are you going to ask?" Pike asked. He was barely old enough to dance, but he was still timid and shy around queens.

Arden watched a cream-colored queen as she gracefully practiced the Invitation. She lifted one leg high in the air, and even from the distance, Pike and Arden could tell she had no trouble at all keeping her balance. "I think I'm gonna ask her," he said, pointing to the queen.

"Sahne?" Pike cocked his head. "She's weird."

"Not as weird as Liebe," Arden countered. "That queen still looks like she's only five months old."

"Hey guys," Another young tom plopped down beside them, his headfur in a terrible mess—as always.

"Hey Romeo," Pike smiled. "Who are you asking to the Ball?"

"Meh, I don't know." The tiger tabby shrugged, flipping onto his back. "I'll just figure it out when we're dancing."

"You know who you sound like right now?" Arden challenged. Romeo propped himself up on his elbow, waiting for Arden to continue. "You sound like Tugger."

Romeo grinned cockily. "That's the point," he said. "Tug's been giving me some pointers, and I think I've got them down."

Arden rolled his eyes and Pike rested his chin on his crossed arms. Suddenly, Pike felt his fur standing on end.

"I'm going for a walk," he said casually. He knew what happened when his fur rose up. Arden and Romeo waved, returning their attention to the queens. As Pike walked off, he heard Romeo say, "Willow's not bad looking,"

Pike hurried through the junkyard, headed for the entrance. He ducked through a long pipe, settling down in the middle of it to wait. He jumped as a paw covered his mouth.

"You are so jumpy," Vail commented dryly as she pulled him out the other end of the pipe.

"I wouldn't be if you didn't sneak up on me like that," Pike protested. But he knew his sister too well; she loved making other's jump.

"Whatever," Vail said. She led him to a large bowl filled with water, and Pike could see the pink clouds of sunset reflected on the surface. "They're coming," she said quietly, glancing at the water.

Pike was silent. "Here?"

Vail looked at her twin, her eyes not unfriendly. "You have just as much power as me. Why don't you take a look?"

"I…" Pike swallowed. "I don't really want her to come back," his voice was almost inaudible.

Vail sighed, and crawled over to her brother, pulling him into a tight hug. "Neither do I, but we can't stop that. I was watching yesterday, and she said Taru's cousin invited them. You know those barn cats; they'll come to be polite."

"Stinking Mistoffelees," Pike muttered darkly. "Why did he have to invite them anyway?"

"I don't know," Vail said. They sat in silence for a long while, until Vail pulled away. "Well, go ahead and try," she gestured to the bowl of water.

Pike frowned at the liquid, concentrating. A rush of air and a small glow made him open his eyes. There, on the surface of the water, a scene unfurled.

_Kroova was laying next to Talon, her eyes half open. She couldn't sleep because she knew exactly where they would be going the next morning. She tried not to think of him, but her son was taking up all her thoughts. She wondered what Pike had grown into; a strong and brave tom, or maybe a gentile creature with no more love for battle and sorrow than her. She wondered if he would recognize her face, and what he would do if he did. _

_Then her thoughts turned to Vail. Kroova wondered if she was still alive, or if Macavity had done away with her. She wondered if she would ever see the sweet little queen again…_

_Kroova's thoughts were broke as Griffyn entered, her stomach swollen slightly. "We've changed our plans," the calico said. "We'll be leaving as soon as yer ready. Mistoffelees suggested we come early and acquaint ourselves with the rest of his tribe."_

"_Alright," Kroova sighed, and turned to shake Talon awake. He sat up, yawning as Kroova conveyed the message to him._

"_Well then," he said, standing up. "I guess we'll be leaving now."_

Pike let the vision fade back into the water, and he was surprised to find tears tracking down his cheeks. He didn't realize his mother cared that much about him. Vail dipped her paws into the water, swirling the contents around; she'd seen the vision too.

"They'll be slowed down because of Griffyn, but they'll be here within the week." She mused. She was toying with a tiny vial, which glinted in what little light of day there was left.

"What's that?" Pike asked, though he had a hunch about its origins.

Vail glanced down at the bottle. "Macavity wants me to poison Deuteronomy and Munkustrap," she said quietly. "It's the first time he's told me to kill anyone," She looked uncertainly at the bottle.

"How does it work?" Pike asked, holding out a paw for the vial. Taking it off the cord around her neck, she held it out for him. Pike examined the contents carefully, fascinated by the way the liquid oozed in the bottle.

"It only takes one drop on the victim's skin, and it seeps into their bloodstream. Then it makes them progressively sick for the next two years before they die from so much pain."

"Huh," Pike held it up to the sky, peering through it at the setting sun. It was a dark red color. "What would he do if you didn't poison them?"

"Well, he wouldn't kill me, that's for sure," Vail said. Pike half-smiled as he recognized the cocky tone in his sister's voice. "I've got too much power for him to just get rid of. He would probably banish me with a death sentence on my head, though."

"So you have to go back with two drops gone?" Pike affirmed. An idea was forming in his head.

Vail nodded. "He told me not to come back unless I poisoned both Munkustrap and Deuteronomy."

"Sounds like a tough scrape to be in," he muttered, handing the bottle back to Vail.

"You have no idea," Vail huffed.

**[A/N] Okay, so recap:**

**-Kroova left on the day of the Jellicle ball, making this about a year since she left the Jellicles**

**-Taru is Mistoffelees' cousin**

**-Kroova is now mated with Taru's brother, Talon**

**-Rosa is the queen kit who joined in the Macavity fight at the barn oh-so-long-ago**

**-Vail and Pike know they are brother and sister, and know that their mom lives in Ireland. Pike doesn't like the fact that Vail works for Macavity, but accepts it because he knows he can't do squat about it. Pike also has just as much power as Vail, but hides it from the Jellicles because that would link him to Macavity—I think of it as a **_**kind**_** of power: Misto has one kind; Vail, Pike, and Macavity have another kind. If the Jellicles saw Pike use his power, they would recognize it as like Macavity's.**

**-Random bit of information: the rest of the barn kits names are: Lizarre (queen), Tamm (tom), Mercuos (tom) -- these two fought Macavity, and Wallen (tom)**


	14. Chapter 15

**I'm glad I made so many people happy by continuing this!**

Pike studied the small bottle as he leaned against a car bumper. Vail was lying on her back staring up at the stars. He tossed it from one paw to the other, rubbing between his pads. No matter what he did, the bottle stayed cool as if it were simply sitting on a shelf. The waxy seal kept the glass stopper in place, and could easily be broken by someone running a claw around the edge.

"Did he specifically say, 'poison two cats?'" Pike asked suddenly.

Vail sat up, staring at her brother. "He didn't," she said, slack-jawed. "Pike, you are a genius!" She leapt up and gave Pike a squeeze. "So," she said as she sat back on her haunches. "What are we poisoning?"

Pike shrugged. "I was just thinking a couple of rats," he suggested. "And then we could just get rid of them to make sure nobody eats them,"

"Then we won't risk anyone else getting poisoned." Vail smiled. She may have gotten strength, but Pike was the one with the real brains. She ignored the fact that Pike couldn't bring himself to say 'kill'. As Vail stood to find a pair of rats, she noticed Pike looked like he had something else to say.

"How close do you get to Macavity?"

Vail felt her limbs grow cold as she realized what he was suggesting. "Not that close," she breathed.

…

"I'll name you Munkustrap, and you Deuteronomy." Vail said to the two struggling rats she was carrying back to Pike. The squeaked in terror; what would this cat do to them? She tightened her grip on their tails, thinking it would be better just to break their necks now instead of waiting. When she returned to the small space, she noticed Pike had a stick sitting on the ground before him, and he was sucking on his paw as if it were injured.

"What happened to you?" Vail asked, sitting cross-legged in front of Pike. He pulled his paw out of his mouth to examine it.

"I had a thought," he said, satisfied that he wasn't bleeding. "I tried different things, to see if the potion would soak in." He gestured to the stick, and Vail noticed it was burned at one end. "The poison did that to the stick, so using a dart tipped with poison is out. Then I wondered what would happen if it was put on a claw—"

"Hold up," Vail said, stopping him with a frown. "You're thinking up ways to _kill_ Macavity?"

"Think about it," he said, holding up the small bottle. Vail could see that the seal had been broken, and a few drops were missing. "Life will be easier for all of us if he's dead."

"True," Vail mused. Then she realized what he'd said earlier. "Wait, you put some on your claw?" she snatched the paw he had been sucking on. There was indeed a claw missing.

Pike gingerly pulled his paw back. "I wondered if it would soak into it," he replied sheepishly. "It did, so I had no choice but break the claw off. I was thinking if someone poison-tipped their claws, they could scratch Macavity and he wouldn't realize he was poisoned until it was too late."

"Well, that idea is out, I guess." Vail bent down, seeing his blackened claw lying on the ground.

"Not entirely," Pike said. "I think we'll be safe from poisoning if our claws are coated in wax first."

"Where are we going to get wax?" Vail asked, but as soon as she spoke, her eyes fell on the bottle. There was enough wax there to coat all the claws on one paw.

"I didn't want to try it," Pike said. "In case there wasn't enough wax and it didn't work."

Vail was silent as she stared at the bottle. "Give it here," she said, holding out her paw. The two rats she'd captured scurried off, completely forgotten. Vail peeled the wax off, coating each claw on her left paw. Once she was satisfied with that, she very carefully dipped one claw into the poison. It oozed on the wax, shining a bit before drying hard. Vail grinned at Pike. "Dear brother, you are a genius."

=^..^=

I leaned into Talon's chest, grateful that Griffyn demanded that we rest for the night. We'd been travelling all day, and were already out of Ireland. The rest of the toms had gone off hunting, with Talon and Wallen—Griffyn's son—staying with the queens in case of protection. I smirked. Even though the queens were perfectly able to fight; myself included, Griffyn had insisted on two toms staying with them. It seemed as though the pregnant calico was taking over the role of leader from Taru, what with how demanding she'd become. I couldn't ever remember acting like that.

The fur rose on the back of my neck as though I was being watched, and I glanced around. Everyone else was simply lounging around, not talking and not moving. Wallen was standing stock still in a pose that very much reminded me of Munkustrap. I smiled at the thought of returning. Maybe I had been getting worked up for nothing.

Without a word, I rose and began stalking out of the circle. Talon watched me curiously, but didn't say anything. I didn't go far, but began sniffing around. The last time I felt like someone was watching me, traces of Macavity were found nearby. I shivered. He'd only come once more after taking Vail, but that didn't mean he wouldn't come around more often.

After being satisfied that the ginger tom was not nearby, I returned to Talon's side. He wrapped his arms around me and pressed his mouth against my neck. "I wish you wouldn't do that," he said softly.

"Do what?"

"Look for _him_, even though we all know he's not there." I could hear the slight disgust in his voice.

"I can't help it," I whispered. "I feel like I'm being watched."

Talon softened when he heard the fear in my voice. "Try to ignore it," he suggested. "Nobody here will let him touch you."

I nodded, but couldn't shake the feeling. I settled into Talon's chest, waiting for the toms to get back with our supper.

…

"Look what we found!" Rascal said, leading back the hunting party. He was leading a small tuxedo tom, who looked very jumpy and nervous to be surrounded by such burly cats.

"Mistoffelees!" Taru said, catching her cousin up in a hug. "What're ye doin here, ye rascal?" She put him down, and he rubbed his arm a bit.

"Munkustrap told me to come and escort you to the junkyard. We saw that you weren't far off, so he suggested I come."

"All by yourself?" I asked; from what I remembered of the conjurer, he wasn't brave enough to be travelling on his own.

Misto shook his head. "Alonzo's with me, though he said there was something he had to check out, and he'll be here later."

I took a head count of the toms and noticed that Gruve, Griffyn's mate, was not with them.

"So anyway," Raena said. "What did ye bring for us to eat?"

"We found some voles," Rascal said. "An' these ones are nice and fat, plenty for us to eat."

Everyone tucked into the food, enjoying the delicacy of the voles. About halfway through our meal, I was tackled to the ground and instinctively began wrestling with the opposing cat. It wasn't hard; Rascal and Talon had both been beaten by me on several occasions, and soon enough I had won the small battle.

"We were beginning to wonder when you'd show up," I said coolly, enjoying the baffled look on Alonzo's face as he picked himself up off the ground. I noticed that a similar look was on Misto's face. I casually licked dirt off my paws, fully aware that Alonzo was tensing to spring again.

"Well," he said just as calmly. "I wanted to surprise you."

Before he could pounce, I tackled his stomach, and we began wrestling again. I could hear shouts of encouragement and advice from the rest of the barn cats, and readily adjusted my body to comply.

"His back paws aren't connecting with the ground properly, toss him!"

"Keep your back loose, though! You don't want to strain yourself!"

Alonzo grunted as he struggled to pin me on my back. I could tell he was being distracted by my friends as they called out to us, so I decided to… help it along.

"How's Liebe these days?" I asked lightly, as though we were sitting and chatting instead of wrestling.

That _really_ caught Alonzo off guard, and I was able to get him flat on his back. I grinned at him. "Don't ever let yourself get distracted by others," I said, raising an eyebrow at him. "Otherwise, you'll lose every fight."

I returned to Talon's side, who threw an arm around my shoulders. "Why can I never get you to fight like that?" He asked playfully.

Taru grinned at me. "That was probably the best fight I've seen in a while!" she guffawed, "I don't think I've ever seen a tom be beaten so easily!"

Alonzo's face went bright red as the rest of the barn cats joined in the laughter.

**[A/N] I know there was something I was going to say, but… Anyway. I can't remember. Please review if you read!**


	15. Chapter 16

"Vail! Wake up!" Pike shook his sister awake, and she instinctively swiped at him for disturbing her.

She sat up, rubbing her eyes with her now covered left paw; she didn't want to risk getting poison on anyone other than Macavity. "What's the emergency?" she asked.

"You'll never believe what I just saw." Pike sat back, satisfied that she was awake.

"Munkustrap sleeping on duty," Vail guessed, not really caring what it was—she just wanted to get back to sleep.

"Mom beat Alonzo."

Vail was wide awake now. "Who are you kidding? Nobody beats Alonzo."

"But I saw it with my own eyes," Pike protested. "Well, not really my _own_ eyes," he amended. "But I saw it on the water. He tackled her, thinking to surprise her, and she pinned him! Twice!"

Vail scowled at the ground. "Living with those barn cats must have made her a formidable fighter, then."

Pike looked at her with confusion. "Why do I hear jealousy in your voice?"

Vail snarled and shot a bolt of energy at a random pile of junk, causing it to topple to the ground with a crash. "If I had stayed there, I would have learned to fight like that!" Pike backed away, mentally building a shield around himself in case she decided to hit him. "Macavity taught me to fight, sure, but I haven't been able to win without using my power!" she was really mad, Pike could tell. They'd both gotten the capacity for anger from Macavity, but Pike kept it under control better than Vail. Perhaps that came from being raised by Jellicles.

"What if you ask the barn cats to teach you?" he suggested. He'd heard them talking about having a mock fight tournament before the ball. "Rascal was talking about teaching the other kits here."

Vail stared at him, her fury still burning in her blue-grey eyes. "That would mean showing my face in the junkyard. Do you honestly think your tribe won't make the connection? We only have one thing to tell us apart," she reminded him, pointing to her ginger patch. "They'll see us as twins, and then they'll start asking where I got the ginger fur. They'll connect us both to Macavity, and they'll throw us out. Is that what you want?"

Pike shook his head. "You don't have to answer their questions if you don't want to. They aren't nosy like that."

Vail scowled and plopped down on the ground, her paws still crackling with energy. She frowned at them. "This is another thing," she said, holding up her paws to show him. "I can't keep it in when I feel energized. It's just a part of me, and Mistoffelees will recognize it as like Macavity's magic."

"If they need convincing, I can vouch for you," Pike volunteered. "I've never seen you hurt someone, so there's not really any proof."

Vail rolled her eyes and lay down, staring up at the stars. She wanted to learn how to fight well, but she didn't want to meet the rest of the tribe. It would raise unnecessary questions that she didn't want to answer. Especially if Kroova was as close as they thought she was to the junkyard. She growled to herself, pulling off the cover of her left paw to examine her dark red claws. She wondered idly if the poison would remain after affecting one cat. She stood up, stretching.

"Where are you going?" Pike asked, watching her carefully.

"I just need to do something," Vail said quietly. "I'll be back before she gets here."

"You aren't going to Macavity, are you?"

Vail stayed silent, clenching her jaw as she thought about what she was going to do. Without answering Pike's question, Vail took off, with the only indication of her location the random sparks flying from her paws, and her mostly white coat.

=^..^=

"I didn't think I would see you back here until the ball was over."

Macavity frowned at Vail, who was standing with her paws on her hips and glaring at him. "Just because I'm going to get rid of Munkustrap and Deuteronomy, doesn't mean I have to _stay_ with those freaks."

"What do you want?" Macavity rubbed his eyes. It had been a long day, and he was ready for some private time. He'd been about to lock the door to his chamber when Vail had stormed in, demanding to see him.

"I've earned a nickname for myself," she said, holding up a gloved paw. "Call me Poisonpaw."

"Vail Poisonpaw," Macavity mused. "Not a bad title. I assume you'll continue being an assassin after killing Deuteronomy and Munkustrap?"

Vail grinned wickedly. "Nothing would please me more."

"Well then," Macavity stood, and strutted over to the young queen. "We'd better test your skills."

He led her out onto the balcony overlooking most of the warehouse. Macavity's eyes roved over the cats who were fighting among themselves, looking for an appropriate target. "Do you see that white tom down there?"

"The one with half his face gone?"

Macavity nodded. "He stole from me this morning. I want you to make sure he doesn't do it again."

Vail grinned and flexed her claws. "With pleasure."

=^..^=

I slowed my pace, seeing the high wooden fence of the junkyard in the distance. Talon glanced at me, but slowed his pace to match mine. Rascal and Taru were walking ahead with Mistoffelees, and Raena was doing her best to ignore Griffyn, who was complaining very loudly about anything she could think of. Eventually Gruve scooped her up and kissed her, successfully keeping her quiet for a moment. Wallen, Tamm, and Mercuos were running ahead, making bets on how many of the Jellicles they would beat in the wrestling tournament they were going to hold.

"I bet I'll get twice as many as you," Tamm was boasting.

Mercuos shook his head. "You've never really beaten me, so there is no way you can get that many."

"Well, I'm going to get more than both of you," Wallen grinned. He liked provoking the two brothers to arguments. His comment sent the two of them into louder protests and promises of 'numbers'.

Rosa and Lizarre trotted past, the two of them more eager to meet toms that weren't related to them. They, too, were excited for the tournament, but they more wanted to attract the eyes of any eligible toms present.

"Do you think they'll go more for us since we'll be able to beat them?"

Rosa laughed. "We're new material to look at," she said. "From what I understand, these Jellicles grew up together."

"That could do one of two things," Lizarre said. "They'll either ignore us completely, or be so taken with us they'll beg us to stay." The two queens giggled, and continued their conversation in a hushed whisper.

I watched Mistoffelees, noticing he was looking at me with an odd expression on his face. I decided I would ask what was on his mind later.

Alonzo had run ahead and was now coming back with a small queen on his back. I recognized Liebe, but I thought she would have been bigger; she was a year old now. He strode up and began introducing everyone to his daughter. "This is Taru and Rascal, and their kits Tamm, Mercuos and Rosa; Griffyn and Gruve, their son Wallen; Raena and Gurnson, and their daughter Lizarre; and Talon and Kroova." Alonzo gestured to each cat in turn, and Liebe gazed at them all with light green eyes.

"Do you have any kittens, Kroova?" Liebe asked innocently. She had noticed that the other three couples had kittens, and had even taken in Griffyn's swollen stomach. Every one of the barn cats fell silent. They all knew the answer, and they knew that Pike was a member of the tribe—Liebe probably knew him.

My mind raced as I tried to think up an answer. What would I say that wouldn't be a lie? Talon came to my rescue, though. He put an arm around my shoulder and said, "Not yet." I sighed. He and I didn't have kittens yet, so that was truthful enough. I smiled and nodded to Liebe.

She shrugged and hopped off Alonzo's back, falling into step beside Rosa and Lizarre. I could tell the three would soon be inseparable friends.

"Well," Alonzo said as the rest of us continued onward. "Deuteronomy told me to help all of you find suitable dens for the duration of your stay, so let's get started." He rubbed his paws together as a show of enthusiasm.

**[A/N] Dang it… I hate forgetting what I planned for the a/n. Anyway I have some other orders of business:**

**-I wrote a fic called 'Anything you can do, I can do better'. I would LOVE to have more than a measly handful of reviews for it… I know people are reading, but for some reason, they aren't reviewing.**

**-I have decided on a sequel! It will focus ONLY on Pike and Vail, and will include an OC to be named by one lucky reader. Want to know how to get your chance? Guess what it will be a cross-over into! It might be easy, but here you go:**

_**Vail and Pike glanced at each other, then**_ _**continued forward. The snow got thicker as they slowly made their way through the low-hanging branches, and the air grew colder. Vail paused long enough to transfer the glove from her left paw to her right, and Pike pushed his long headfur out of his eyes. The sight that greeted them was truly incredible.**_

_**The sun was shining, but the snow around them showed no signs of melting. Vail saw her breath mist in front of her face, and she grinned at Pike. How was he taking it all in?**_

"_**This is impossible," he whispered.**_

"_**Ah, but Silverthought," Vail said, flicking Pike in the ear as she used his nickname, "Didn't you say so yourself that nothing was impossible?"**_

**Ok! So there you go! I hope you all look forward to this; I'm looking forward to writing it! Note: when the actual story comes out, this particular sequence might not be the same (I had to modify it so it wouldn't be so easy to guess) sort-of-hint: the OC is a fox.**


	16. Chapter 17

**For those of you who know NBC's show Heroes, Vail is pulling a Noah Bennett. For those of you who don't know what that means, it simply means that she's alternating between two sides, and I will not tell you what side she is really on. **

Vail idly picked the dried blood off her claws, careful not to scrape off the wax. The white tom's screams of agony could be heard throughout the warehouse, and if the concentrated poison didn't kill him soon, the annoyed cats would. After Vail was satisfied that her claws were clean, she dipped each one into the little bottle, careful not to get it on her fur.

Macavity strode in just as she was tucking the bottle away inside her glove. "Alright," he said. "You've had enough playtime here; it's time for you to go back to the junkyard."

"The ball isn't until tomorrow," Vail complained. "Do I have to go _now?_"

"Yes, as a matter of fact, you do." Macavity turned his back on her, his paws alive with bright sparks. "There is a certain queen coming to visit who I think you'll be interested in."

"I don't know what you're talking about." Vail said as her blood ran cold; but then, why wouldn't Macavity know that Kroova was back?

Macavity whirled around. "Don't play the dumb card with me! I know you've been meeting with one of those Jellicles, and that you are friends with that pathetic tom." Vail flinched at the volume of his voice, but otherwise she kept still. "If you think I will let you continue having the status you have while you have friends in that tribe, you are sorely mistaken!"

"I'm only doing it to gain their trust," Vail said calmly. She glared at Macavity. "How dare you question my loyalty? I could sense that you would want someone to get rid of Deuteronomy and Munkustrap, so I placed myself in a position where I could get close to them. When the time is right, I will strike, and they won't be able to stop me."

=^..^=

Pike watched from a tall lookout position as the barn cats were introduced to the rest of the tribe. Kroova stayed close to a gold tom, and Pike guessed that he was Talon. He wanted badly to run down and hug his mother, to never let her go again, but a small part of his mind didn't ever want to forgive her for leaving. He bit his lip, watching the barn cats in the main clearing, determined to stay right where he was.

Until Liebe started calling his name.

=^..^=

I tried to keep my pulse down as Liebe called for Pike. I guessed that he was nearby; otherwise the black and white queen would have gone looking for him. She shrugged at me.

"He's probably off with Romeo and the other toms," she said lightly. "They've been keeping to themselves lately."

Suddenly a blur of grey and white crashed into Liebe, causing her to roll under the large oven on the edge of the clearing. I heard laughter, and Liebe crawled out, followed by a tall white and grey tom. My heart all but stopped as I saw how much Pike had grown; he was already taller than me. Liebe grinned at him.

"Pike, what were you doing up there?" she craned her neck to look at his face, as she was much shorter than him. She gestured to the top of the junk pile, and Pike glanced behind him at it.

"Waiting for you to stand next to it so I can fall off and land on you," Pike said, as though he'd really planned it. I glanced at the pile; there was a clear path where he'd slid from the top.

Liebe rolled her eyes. "Pike this is Kroova and Talon. The rest of the barn cats went off with dad to find places to stay while they're here."

Pike stared at me, and suddenly I felt like a young kitten. _That's just silly,_ I thought. _You're his mother; he shouldn't make you feel small._ I realized my paws were trembling, because Talon gripped my shoulder tighter. I gazed up into Pike's eyes, noticing that they were the same blue-grey as mine. I couldn't help myself. A small sort of strangled gasp escaped my throat as I fell against him, wrapping my arms around his waist. Tears were already coursing down my face, and it was all I could do to control my breathing.

After a moments' hesitation, Pike pulled his arms around my shoulders and hugged me close. "I didn't want to believe that you were coming back," he whispered.

"I didn't think I would," my voice was shaky, and I swallowed against the lump in my throat. "I wish I didn't have to leave you."

Pike pulled back, smiling at me. I saw that his eyes were welling up with tears. "Knowing that has made me happier than I can ever remember, mom."

**[A/N] Yes, this is short. I know. But I couldn't think of a way to continue it.**

**Kroova will get around to asking 'what the heck' to Misto, but next chapter.**


	17. Chapter 18

**I love it how in the reviews, nobody commented on Vail's 'I'm not telling you what side I'm on' attitude. Anyway…**

Liebe glanced at Talon then back at Pike and Kroova. It was probably the most confusing sight ever to see. Pike was trembling, though Liebe could tell he was supporting Kroova, whose knees had gone slack. They were both crying. Suddenly, as if someone had turned on a light, Liebe noticed the striking resemblance between the two. She gasped and her paws flew to her mouth.

Kroova pulled away and brushed Pike's long headfur out of his eyes. "You've grown so much," she said. She opened her mouth as if to say more, but she stopped.

"Vail isn't here," Pike said, frowning.

Liebe's mind was racing. Who in Heaviside was Vail? But Kroova obviously knew.

"Do you know where she is?" She asked. "Is she…"

Pike glanced at Liebe and Talon. "Let's go somewhere else and talk," he said quietly.

=^..^=

I watched Pike as he peered around the small space, making sure nobody was near. It felt strange to see him so tall… the last time I'd seen him he was small enough for me to carry. I chuckled to myself; there was no way I would be able to lift him now. Pike sat down and picked up a small stick, twirling it in his paws.

"Vail…" he began, frowning at the stick. "When I was about five months old I came here, trying to remember anything about the barn cats. I almost left when I saw there was already someone here, but then I realized her face was familiar. I didn't hesitate; I just walked right up to her. She knew me; I guess because my face was familiar to her as well, because she just hugged me and started asking me what I was doing in London.

"We decided to keep the meeting a secret, because she told me that her father wouldn't like it if he knew she was meeting with Jellicles. It wasn't until after she left that I realized who she was. I tried to chase after Vail, but she was already gone. We met at least once a week from then on, and she taught me about using my powers," Pike flicked a paw, sending up a shower of pink sparks. "And I taught her how to dance and sing." He looked me in the eye, his eyes grave. "Vail lives with Macavity, and she's never once said anything about leaving. She enjoys it there, and nothing I say can convince her otherwise."

"Is she there now, do you think?" I asked warily.

Pike shook his head. "She said he's sent her on a mission of sorts, and she's not supposed to go back until it's done."

"What kind of mission?" I wondered.

"The kind I'm not allowed to talk about."

I whirled around. Standing in the shadows was a young queen, identical to Pike except for the ginger patch of fur on her left ear. She looked furious.

"Vail, sweetheart—"

"Don't you _dare_ call me that," Vail said venomously. Sparks were crackling around her paws. "You _lied_ to me from the moment I could understand what you were saying. I remember that day," she raised her voice in cruel mockery. "_ 'I'll be back before you know it,'_. That is what you said. Two weeks later, and there was still no word about where you were. My father came, he found me and _wanted _to take care of me. He promised me he wouldn't let me down."

"Macavity's promises mean nothing." My blood ran cold.

"They're a hell of a lot more meaningful than YOURS!" Vail exploded, slashing at me. She didn't hit me, but it was enough to make me flinch and jump back. "You said you were going on a short walk with Pike, and that you would be _right back!_ It's almost been a year since I've seen you; what do you think that does to someone's trust?!"

I stayed silent; I knew that bottled anger was better out than in.

"You have no idea what I've wanted," Vail shot a bolt of energy at one of the piles of junk, making the stuff fly everywhere. "I've lived with my _father,_ who has given me everything I ask for because he knows that I deserve it. He's been a much better parent than _you_." Tears were now rolling freely down her face, and she was shaking badly. I could tell she wasn't controlling her words anymore, and they began tumbling out of her mouth like a waterfall held back for so long. "I have wanted nothing more than for someone to love me," her voice broke on the word 'love', "I wished, every night as I went to bed, for someone to sing me to sleep like you did when we lived in the barn. I wanted my brother to play with, for other kittens to grow up with. Instead I grew up among thieves and assassins, and now I'm one of Macavity's top agents! I DIDN'T WANT THAT!!" As Vail screamed, she let the sparks fly off her paws in unchecked directions, and I flinched several times as the small bits caught my fur and burned me.

Vail flung herself at me, and began punching and kicking with all her might. I fought back, but just enough to keep her from doing any real damage. This only seemed to upset her more.

"If you hadn't left, I could have learned to fight like the barn cats! I would be able to win each and every fight without using my powers!" she snarled and tried to pin me, but I decided enough was enough. I flipped her on her back easily, and held her there.

"I admit it was wrong to leave you," I said, raising my voice to match her previous volume. "But Macavity only knew that I was pregnant. He didn't know I had twins. I knew he would come to try and take one of you, and I thought it would be better if he only knew about one of you. Macavity still doesn't know that Pike is your brother, and that is the way it should be. If he knew he had a son, Pike would be gone faster than you could blink."

"But he still got a hold of one of us," Vail hissed. "What did you think you would do? Come back before Macavity could get there?"

"That was my plan, yes," I scowled at her. "But now I see that keeping both of you at the barn would have been much better. I could have protected both of you at the same time, and I would never have had to feel the heartbreak of coming back to the barn only to find you gone. I was torn up that day, and I still wish I could go back and undo all my actions."

Vail opened her mouth, working her jaw against words that wouldn't come. The strained silence was broken by Pike. "Look for the honesty in her eyes, Vail. That is all there is."

Vail closed her mouth, swallowing as she did what Pike said. I evened my breathing, not breaking eye contact with her. _Dare I?_ I slowly sat back, letting Vail's limbs free. She sat up, staring at me. For a long while, we stayed in that position. Then Vail gave a strangled cry and flung her arms around me. I returned the hug with as much enthusiasm as I could muster.

"Don't leave again, momma," Vail whimpered. Just hearing it renewed my tears, and I hugged her tighter.

"I wouldn't dream of it." I felt another pair of arms around me, and I moved to pull one arm around Pike's shoulder. I never wanted to leave them—my kittens—again. "We'll stay together, always."

"As a family," Pike added. Vail nodded, and I smiled at them, knowing I could never leave them again.

**[A/N] Ok! So the bit with Misto will have to wait, because it just didn't feel right to put it in this chapter. This story has become my top priority, because I cannot start posting my cross-over until this is done (sure spoilers are inside). Also, beware of Roselna on sugar; Charlie the Unicorn references will be included.**


	18. Chapter 19

"What a touching reunion," Macavity sneered as Vail entered his room. "I didn't think I would say this, but you are a pretty good actress. Though saying that one of the Jellicles is your brother was going a bit far, don't you think?"

Vail scowled at him. "I did what I had to. But do you honestly think I would forgive her that easily?"

Macavity chuckled, shaking his head. "Not at all. But I am curious; if the whole 'Pike is my brother' bit was just an act, why did Kroova go along with it?"

Vail froze, and Macavity knew he'd caught her. He smiled. "You really do have a twin brother, don't you?"

"If you even touch him," Vail warned dangerously. She unsheathed her claws, but kept herself in check; she'd lost her temper enough for one day.

"You'll what?" Macavity spread his arms wide. "You'll kill me? Come on, Poisonpaw, we both know you aren't strong enough to do that."

Vail pressed her ears back. "He's got nothing to do with this. You have no reason to bring him here other than the fact that he's your son."

"I believe he inherited certain qualities from me," Macavity smiled. "Am I right? The powers, the incredible intellect. He couldn't have possible gotten that from your mother."

"He has a kind heart," Vail said quietly. "He can't even bring himself to say the word 'kill'."

Macavity snorted. "That can be fixed soon enough. Face it," he hopped down from the chair, striding over to Vail. "The only thing you two got from your mother is your coat pattern. Even then, yours is affected by me." He touched Vail's left ear, and she flicked away his paw.

"It's a shame you won't be able to be a _family_," Macavity said, returning to the chair. Vail glared at him. She glanced down at her gloved paw, wishing she could take a shot at him.

"I'm going now." She said finally. "I'll come back when I'm done."

She turned on her heel and strutted out the door, hissing at any cats who even moved near her.

=^..^=

I was lying on my back, staring up at the stars. There were so many… sure, I couldn't see as many as I could in the Irish countryside, but still there were a lot. Pike was off with his friends, who had demanded an explanation about his behavior; it was swiftly becoming common knowledge among the Jellicle tribe that I was his mother. I heard paw-steps approaching, but I stayed where I was.

"Kroova?" Mistoffelees sounded nervous; I wondered if I was about to learn what had been on his mind when we'd gotten back to the junkyard. I sat up, gazing at him. He hesitated. "Is it alright if I talk to you about something?"

"Sure," I said. I patted the space next to me, and Mistoffelees sat down slowly.

"This has been bothering me for a while," he said quietly. "Something that's been on my mind…"

"Well, go on," I urged.

"Memory is a fickle thing," he muttered. I couldn't tell if the comment was directed at me or himself. "Deuteronomy placed a mental block in your mind, along with everyone else who was there that night,"

I frowned at him. "What night?"

"But it had no effect on me, Coricopat or Tantomile," he continued as if he hadn't heard me. "I know the truth… Cori and Tanto gave themselves mental blocks because they didn't like what we'd done. I kept my mind free, knowing I could restore your memories if you wanted."

"My… memories?"

"Your life before you came to us," Misto was staring at his paws, so I couldn't read the expression on his face.

"Are you saying Deuteronomy is the reason I have no memories from over a year ago?"

"Exactly."

_What kind of memories?_ I wondered. Misto was offering to remove the block; I wondered what kind of life I'd lived… who my parents were, how many kits were in my family, where we lived… Maybe I would finally know why I didn't know my name until Macavity got to me. But… what if the memories I found were painful? _That is a risk I will have to take,_ I thought, steeling myself. I took a deep breath. "Show them to me."

Misto stood, pulling me up as well. Then he placed one paw on my shoulder and the other on my forehead and closed his eyes. At first I saw nothing; just the black behind my closed eyelids. Then a flicker of color and light came to the front of my mind. Before I could make out any sort of image, pain ripped through my body, paralyzing me. I collapsed to the ground, my eyes wide open though I didn't see the stars as I had before.

=^..^=

Mistoffelees watched Kroova nervously as she lay on the ground, twitching occasionally. Her eyes were glazed over, and Misto could only guess what she was seeing. All he could do was wait until all her previous memories filtered through her mind—then and only then would she regain control of her body.

=^..^=

_I sat in a hospital chair, leaning on my mom. Everything looked so huge… but then, I was very small. I couldn't feel my throat, but I guessed that it was going to hurt later. I saw my Grandms walking towards me, holding an orange popcicle in her hand. I smiled and stretched out my arm to the treat. _My favorite,_ I thought. I began sucking on the frozen treat, listening to my Grandma as she talked to my mom. _

"_She was so brave to do that," Grandma said. My mom nodded. _

"_The doctors said they've never had a two-year-old behave so well for an operation." I wanted to smile at the pride in mom's voice, but my cheeks were still numb. _

_The doctor who'd put the funny mask on my face came out, holding a small container. "Here are your tonsils, Cassie." He smiled at me as I stared at the container. They looked like little hairy balls, the kind Allie would play with…_

…

_I sat bouncing in my chair as my family sang happy birthday to me. My cake was lemon flavored, and my mom had done wonders and drawn a picture of Flounder on it in blue and yellow frosting. Five candles were glowing brightly. When they got done singing, I sucked in a huge breath and blew with all my might. The candles extinguished, only to relight themselves. I grinned; my mom had used trick candles! I blew again and again, each time laughing and clapping my hands as they relit themselves…_

…

"_Mom, come on! The show's about to start, and you can just get a water bottle!" I tapped my foot impatiently as my mother stood in line for the drinking fountain. I could hear the orchestra warming up in the auditorium where two of my brothers and my sister were already seated. I didn't even know why I was out in the hall. I glanced back at the line; there were still three other people in front of my mother, and they didn't seem to care that _Wicked_ was beginning. I pulled a sharpie out of my pocket and began twirling it restlessly through my fingers._

"_Mo-om!"_

_My mom rolled her eyes, but she left the line and followed me into the auditorium…_

…

"_Jen, wait up!" I sprinted after my friend, feeling my braided-yarn tail swinging behind me. Halloween was my favorite time of year, and this year, I and my friend Jennifer were dressed up as mice. It was funny; one lady thought it would be hilarious to give us cheese sticks in our bags instead of candy…_

…

"_You look beautiful." _

_I felt my face flood with color as Mike smiled at me. It was my high school homecoming dance, and I had practically jumped for joy when Mike—my most recent and currently strongest crush—asked me to go with him. I stepped onto the porch, closing the door behind me so that my family wouldn't see us holding hands. I wondered if the night would end with a kiss…_

…

_I choked back tears as I lay in bed that night, wishing with all my heart for my parent's words not to be true. We would be leaving everything; all we were taking was a suitcase full of clothes. We would be buying new things in London, they said. But I wasn't torn because we'd be leaving my favorite spot in the willow tree, the one with the branches situated just right for someone to sit in… I was sobbing because I'd be leaving all my friends to start over new in another country—a whole ocean away from everything I knew and loved…_

…

_Getting off the plane, I held tight to my older sister's hand. She was just as nervous as I was, and behind me, I knew my four brothers were trying to hide the fact that they were scared stiff. My little sister gripped my other arm, and together the seven of us walked slowly into a whole new world…_

…

_I frowned into my pillow, trying to get back to sleep, but it was no use. It was about three in the morning, and my mind was suddenly active. I tried to remember my dream, but it was gone._

"_Whatever," I muttered. I reached up to turn on my lamp, blinking in the sudden light and felt around for my glasses. I jammed them onto my face and flipped onto my back. I stared up at the posters on my ceiling, smiling at the signatures in silver Sharpie on my Wicked, Beauty and the Beast, and Into the Woods posters, and the pictures taped onto my Pirate's poster of me and Kiera Knightly, Orlando Bloom and Johnny Depp. My favorite one was where Johnny had dared Orlando to kiss my cheek right when the picture was taken. Of course, I didn't know about it, so my mouth and eyes were wide open with shock._

_A scratching at my window distracted me, and I stood on my bed to peer out into the darkness. I saw nothing, but that didn't mean anything. I turned the flash from my phone on, pointing it out the window. I jumped when the light caught a large pair of eyes._

"_Sam!" I whispered. He stared at me, and I left my room to let him in. I dropped my phone into my scrubs pajama's pocket, wrapping my thick alumni blanket around me. I slid open the back door, dancing in the cold while I waited for our stubborn cat to come inside. He was sitting about ten feet away from the door, his tail flicking back and forth. _

"_Oh come on," I whined. "You already do this when you're inside, do you really have to when you're coming in?" I stood there a bit longer, wishing I'd put socks on. Finally, Sam stood and waded through the snow, glancing up at me as he passed. I sighed gratefully and shut the door, and began making my way back down to my room. Sam walked ahead of me, his head down low. At the top of the stairs, he stopped and turned around, looking up at me._

_I sighed again, and reached down to pick him up. "Down we go, Beaver." I had my hands securely under his floppy stomach when he suddenly took off towards the door. I watched him, rubbing my neck with confusion. I followed after him, opening the door once again. He turned away like he was leaving, but came up behind me and butted my ankles with his head. He obviously wanted me to go outside._

"_Let me get my shoes then."_

_I slipped them on, still wishing for socks, and followed the overweight cat outside into the early morning. He led me along seldom used streets, and I hugged my blanket tighter. Winter here was so much colder than Utah. My phone bounced against my thigh, and I was alerted of a text message. I kept walking, but I pulled it out to look at the screen. I smiled to see it was from Mike._

_-I think you're asleep right now, but I wanted to let you know that we're saving up to spring you from prison!-_

_I laughed, knowing he was completely serious._

_-Ok then :) See you in twenty years!-_

_-Ha! I'll have you know that we are already halfway there for a one-way ticket-_

_-Only one-way? You don't want me living with my fam anymore?-_

_-That's what webcams are for. Speaking of which, why haven't you been using yours?-_

_-It's broken-_

_-Well, get a new one! Aren't they cheaper there?-_

_-I haven't found a Wal-mart yet… I'll look in the morning. Right now my cat is leading me on a wild-goose-chase-_

_-Well, don't let Beaver lead you too far. I've seen too many horror movies about young girls following their cats…-_

_-:P Well, it's a good thing those all happened in AMERICA-_

_-…right…-_

_-Well, I'll talk to you in the morning… Sam just led me into a junkyard, though I have no idea why…-_

_-Why are you even following him?-_

_-I have no idea…-_

_-Oh well. Good knight!-_

_-Haha :) good knight!-_

_I dropped my phone back into my pocket, returning my main focus to where I was walking. Piles of junk towered over me, and I was nervous that the stuff could fall any second. Suddenly I was in a large clearing, and a good two-or-three dozen cats were staring at me. _Definitely not in Utah anymore…_ I thought, gazing around at the felines. There were several kittens, though they were being held back by the older cats. Suddenly a black and white one sprang at my face and knocked off my glasses. I jumped back and began feeling around on the ground for them. Once they were on my face, I looked at the silver tabby that was on the tire, meowing loudly to rest of the cats. _

"_Munkustrap…" They all looked at me. "I think you're mad at me for some reason, but could you somehow let me know why?"_

_The silver tabby turned to a small tuxedo, and the little black cat was gone. After a few minutes, I sat down inside of a door-less oven, pulling my blanket tighter around me. An older cat entered the clearing, and I could tell they all respected him._ _I shivered violently. I didn't like the look on the cat's faces, especially the two sitting on the tire. I felt something touch my leg, and I looked down to see a white kitten at my feet. Instinctively I stretched my hand down to let her sniff it. She pressed her soft head against my palm, and I smiled. I rested my chin on my knees. "Can I pick you up?" I whispered. _

_They tiny kitten meowed at me, and I scooped her up, scratching the back of her head. Suddenly I had five other kittens clustered around me, rubbing against my legs and trying to get me to scratch them too. I laughed and picked them up, alternating between whose head I scratched. Samuel sat at my feet, the smug look on his face saying, 'yes, that's my human.'_

_One of the kittens leapt up on my shoulder, and the feel of its fur made me go cross-eyed. I realized how tired I was as I all but lost control of where I was looking… It had been a while since I'd stayed up this late._

"_Human girl," it was the silver tabby speaking. _

Ok,_ I thought. _Now I _know_ I'm tired. I'm hallucinating talking cats… Oh well. Might as well play along. _"Cassie."_

"_What?"_

"_My name is Cassie."_

_The silver tabby chuckled. "You hear us talking and your first reaction is to tell us your name?"_

_I shrugged. "Well, it's about five in the morning, so I'm pretty sure I'm hallucinating right now. Why shouldn't cats start talking?"_

_The cats in the clearing chuckled. Munkustrap continued. "Yesterday, you saw one of our tribe and called out a name," he stated. "I am here to tell you that you accurately guessed his dignified name, a carefully guarded secret from any being aside from cats. You also guessed mine, and from what he tells us," he nodded at Samuel. "You have known his since you were a little girl."_

"_I was five," I said simply. "It was like a dream come true when my dad came home with a kitten, and he's been a member of the family ever since._

"_But the fact of the matter is that you know how to discover our names," Munkustrap said patiently. "This is unacceptable."_

"_What are you going to do about it?" I demanded. I was tempted to stand up, but I didn't want to dump the kittens off my lap._

"_I must apologize, Cassie," Samuel said, looking up at me. "But they will not allow you to return home. You know too much."_

_I laughed. "OK, I'm having one of those dreams that feels so real that I can't tell that I'm dreaming…" I rubbed my eyes. "Holy trap, I'm even going cross-eyed."_

_Deuteronomy glanced at Munkustrap, who yelled out, "Surround her!"_

_I leapt to her feet, the kittens on my lap scattering as the rest of the cats in the tribe began pulling at my blanket and pulling me down. One even jumped on my shoulders and stuffed my mouth with some cloth to keep me silent. Soon they were all piled on top of me, holding me under the blanket while Deuteronomy and a select few did their work._

…

I gasped, sucking in as much breath as I could. My sight returned to me, and I was shaking badly. _I was human!_ I thought. The shock of the realization was almost too much for me. _Macavity was right! Damn, why does he have to be right?_ My mind reeled as seventeen years' worth of memories filled my consciousness. Suddenly my feline body felt alien to me, and I was compelled to find my family and learn what had become of them. _NO!_ My mind screamed at me, keeping my body where it was. _THIS is your life now! Pike and Vail! You promised them!!_ I fought to gain control of my body, and slowly sat up. Mistoffelees was sitting in front of me, worry lining his face.

"Put it back," I said slowly. "I would rather not know…" My voice trembled, and I was glad I was sitting down. Mistoffelees placed his paws on my forehead and shoulder as before, and I closed my eyes. The pain came back, but ten times as strong. Everything went black.

**[A/N] Woo! Long chapter! Haha I feel so accomplished!**

**Ok, so Insanemistosingsmore has written a cross-over fic of Cats and Les Miserables. You should check it out! **

**Anyway, I have a new rule: If you review, tell me why you liked it. If you subscribe to story alert or add this to your favorites, TELL ME WHY!!! Please? I love feedback and hearing what parts people liked… **


	19. Chapter 20

Talon woke up, feeling a paw on his shoulder. He rubbed his eyes, looking up at Jenny. "Perhaps it's best if you sleep in your own den, dear," the Gumbie cat said sympathetically. Talon nodded reluctantly, his eyes lingering on the unconscious form of Kroova. She'd been like that for almost a whole day, and nothing they did seemed to revive her. She'd thrown up a couple times, but other than that, she did nothing more than lay dormant in Jenny's medical den. Talon brushed a paw across her feverish forehead and slowly left the den.

Jenny watched him go, wishing she could do more to lift his spirits. Jellylorum came into the den, carrying a bowl of water and a bit of cloth.

"Don't you think we should tell him?" Jelly asked, watching the gold tom trudge slowly out of sight. Jenny shook her head.

"I have a feeling it would only upset him more. We'll wait and see what happens…" she gazed at the white and grey patched queen. "If nothing changes in twenty-four hours, we'll have to tell him. He has a right to know."

Jellylorum nodded and began dabbing Kroova's forehead with the wet rag, while Jenny set about making a broth in case she woke up. _It'll just go to waste,_ Jenny thought sadly. She'd seen this condition before, and the results were never pleasant.

=^..^=

_It was the strangest sensation in the world… I knew I was floating, but it seemed impossible. I could look down and see myself, touch myself, but I had no substance. Around me, silvery clouds swirled, occasionally broken by spots of brown, orange, or gold. I invented a game; I would guess what color would come next, and where it would appear, and I got a point if I guessed right. Eventually—after about four thousand—I lost count and resigned to simply guess. After a while I noticed that the gold stopped appearing, and it was just brown and orange._

_A darkness appeared behind me, and even though it was large and ominous, I wasn't afraid. It was a friendly darkness; though I wondered if I should go near it. I decided, yes, I would go near, but then I realized that I couldn't move. I watched the darkness as it moved around, sometimes mixing with the brown or orange._

_A swirl in my stomach, and I felt myself heave, though nothing came out. I wondered if my body—wherever it was—was throwing up. This happened several times, and each time I was surrounded by the colors in the space. When I seemed fine, they retreated and moved at their slow pace again. Eventually, I began to notice a tiny white light underneath me. Odd. I hadn't even realized there _could_ be anything underneath me. I watched it for a while as it darted this way and that, never staying in the same spot for more than two seconds. _

_The gold color came back, glowing brightly next to me. It was almost as bright as the white one. I watched it, wondering what it was doing. Usually the colors faded in and out, but it stayed right where it was, throbbing like a pulse. I heard sounds then, sounds that seemed familiar… but I couldn't decide where I'd heard them before. I didn't even know why I knew the sounds. I began to long for the sounds, wondering when I would hear them next. They sounded sad… whatever they were. I realized the sounds were actually coming from the colors. Each of the colors had its own sound; the orange and brown were light and friendly, the gold was strong and deep, the black was somewhat loud, and the white was the quietest of all. I could only hear it if I listened really carefully._

_I saw the silver swirls starting to solidify, forming tall boxes and flat surfaces. I felt something hard beneath my feet, and I realized I was standing on one of the hard surfaces. The colors were gone, but I saw a large figure moving slowly towards me. It looked like a cat, but there was something odd about it—it seemed like thick smoke, whereas I was completely solid. The cat stopped a few feet in front of me, and I recognized its' face. _

"_Samuel," I said with a smile. It had been a long time since I'd seen the old Siamese._

"_You should not be here, Kroova."_

_I frowned. "Why not? I'm not doing anything wrong, am I?"_

"_No, but you have a family back on earth that misses you." _

"_Back on earth?"_

"_You are in Heaviside," Samuel explained, gesturing to the silvery shapes around us. "But only partly. If you stay here any longer, your soul will soon join your mind, and you will have to stay here forever."_

_I frowned at the ground, running Samuel's words through my head. "Are you dead, then?"_

"_Yes," Samuel nodded. "I was chosen to go last year at the Jellicle Ball, and I have just been waiting to be reborn."_

"_I thought that happened immediately?"_

_Samuel shook his head. "No, it turns out we can choose when we get reborn. Grizabella is still up here, waiting for the perfect situation."_

"_What sort of situation?" I'd heard of Grizabella; she'd gone up a few years ago. _

"_She wants to be reborn into the junkyard."_

"_Huh," I looked down at my paws. "How much longer until I stay here for good?"_

"_A few minutes, at the most."_

_I looked around at the shapes. They began to swirl again, forming into the familiar scene of the junkyard. I saw Jenny's medical den in front of me, and occasionally a flash of color would move around it. "How do I go back?" I asked. Samuel crossed his arms, moving to stand beside me._

"_That is something you must figure out on your own," he said quietly. I glanced at him, but he just shrugged. "If I knew I wouldn't be allowed in Heaviside."_

_I moved forward, headed for the medical den. Inside, I saw Jenny and Jelly, talking quietly, though I couldn't understand what they were saying. I saw my own body lying on a bed. It scared me, seeing myself so close to death. Jenny stood next to me—my body—facing Jelly. She said something, and then held up the blanket to show the other queen something. I leaned in to look, but the blanket was dropped before I could see anything. _What in the world?_ I thought, I tried to pick up the blanket, but my paw went straight through it. As soon as I touched my body, I felt as though someone had turned on a vacuum cleaner. I was being sucked inside my body, and I hit the ground with a bone-jarring slam._

**[A/N]**

**I would like to thank my readers; especially MandoJetti—without whom I wouldn't really know what Mike would say… you know what you did!**

**Anyway, I would like to know: what was your favorite memory of Kroova's? Just something I'm curious about :) And to those who are constantly reviewing each chapter: the rule doesn't apply to you! Scratch that… I'll just get rid of the rule altogether… anyway. Please review! Its' that button down there V-V go ahead and push it!**


	20. Chapter 22

"Vail!" Pike ran through the junkyard, searching for his sister. He could sense that she was close, and he needed her desperately. He found her sitting on a boot, fiddling with the bottle of poison. "Vail, we need you!"

Vail glanced up at him. "What for? And who's 'we'?"

"Me, Misto, Cori and Tanto. Mom's not waking up, and the twins think if we combine our powers we can bring her back."

"You told them about me?!" Vail shot up to her feet, glaring in disbelief at Pike.

Pike rolled his eyes. "Are you going to help or not?"

Vail scowled at the ground. "What do we have to do?"

"Coricopat suggested we explore her mind," Pike said, starting off through the junkyard. "If we can find the reason she's unconscious, maybe we'll be able to reverse it."

Vail nodded, seeing the sense in the mystic's words, and followed after Pike. "Does Jenny have any input about her condition?"

"She says…" Pike paused, scrunching his nose. "She says it's called a coma, and that it's not very common for someone to wake up from one unharmed."

Vail's face lost all its color. She began to run faster. _Let them think what they may,_ she thought, _I'm going to get her out of this._

…

Coricopat and Tantomile hissed in unison as Vail entered the den, causing severe alarm among Mistoffelees, Jennyanydots, and Jellylorum. Pike entered right behind her, his paws raised to ward off any attack.

"Cool it, you two," he said calmly.

"She has Macavity's magic." Tantomile said quietly.

"So?" Pike demanded. "So do I. If you two haven't figured that out by now, I don't think you can be considered mystics."

Coricopat gazed at Pike, but the young tom didn't flinch or look away as most others would. "We suspected…"

"A connection…"

"Between you and Macavity," the twins finished in unison.

"He's my father, so what?" Pike growled. "Does that make me any different?"

"Guys, I think we should—" Misto started.

"Shut it," Vail said, glaring at the tuxedo tom. "It's your fault she's like this."

The cats in the den fell silent, their gazes shifting between Vail and Mistoffelees.

"What do you mean?" Pike asked.

"How would you know that?" Misto narrowed his eyes at the young queen.

"Something I've kept to myself until now," Vail said nonchalantly. "I can read minds. You offered to remove a mental block from her mind, and now she's stuck like this until _she_ comes to terms with her memories. So all we can do is wait."

"Wait for what?" Jenny watched Kroova on the bed.

"For her to accept her past life as it is." Vail glanced at her mother, keeping her face straight.

"What exactly do you mean by 'her past life'?" Pike asked, frowning at his sister. Vail glanced at him, worry beginning to shine in her eyes.

"That's something I really wish I didn't know."

=^..^=

"Taru?"

The large black queen stirred and squinted at the figure in the entrance of the den. "What is it, baby brother?"

Talon frowned. "Kroova's not doing so good."

Taru was immediately by his side, an arm around his shoulder. "Why don't ye tell me about it, eh? It'll feel better to be talkin'."

"She's sick, I can tell," Talon gazed at his paws blankly. "Jenny won't tell me what's wrong with her exactly, but I know from their faces that it isn't good. I just wish there was more that I could do," He dropped his head, covering his eyes with his paws. Taru rubbed his back, slightly uneasy at the sight of her brother so upset. Kroova had been the best thing to happen to him, and now she was slipping away…

"Is there anythin' ye can think of to help keep yer mind off things?" Taru asked. Talon shook his head, and Taru sighed. "Well, how about this; you teach all them kits how to fight tomorrow, that way we'll have some real competition in Rascal's tournament."

Talon considered this, then numbly nodded his head. It would take all his focus to get the junkyard kits to be fighting fit.

=^..^=

I thought about everything. All seventeen years' worth of memories that had previously been blocked in my brain. I looked over them, shifted through them, and each time they flowed through my mind it seemed more like I was merely watching a movie of someone else's life. Like a movie that was supposed to have a sequel, but the makers just got lazy. Wasn't Cassie supposed to find a Wal-mart in the morning? And did she just leave Mike for good, or did they end up having a life together? At first I was frantic with the desire to know what happened next, but soon I found it drifted away. I pushed all the foreign memories out of my head, turning to what I knew.

So what if I couldn't remember my kittenhood? I had plenty of fillers. Pike and Vail, for instance. I didn't really know them very well, but that would soon be remedied. I would talk with Talon as soon as possible about staying with them; it would be a hard decision to make… would they want to come back to Ireland, or would Talon be willing to stay with the Jellicles? Also, a new thought was forming in the back of my mind… the familiar sensations rippling through my body, sending excited shivers down my spine. I looked forward to the future, and what it would hold. There was just one problem: I couldn't move.

**[A/N] Ok, so this one is short, but I couldn't continue without giving stuff away. Enjoy, children!**


	21. Chapter 23

**[A/N] This POV is Vail's, as she is the only one who can hear Kroova's thoughts.**

***Vail's thoughts***

**~Kroova's thoughts~**

**-Talon's thoughts-**

My head snapped up, listening intently for the mental call that rang through my head not two seconds before. I stared at mom, trying to believe what I was hearing.

_~…need to move, need to tell Talon--~_

_*Mom?*_

_~…Vail? How am I speaking to you?~_

_*Inside your head. What happened? Why can't you move?*_

_~That's a scary question; I have no idea…~_

_*Jenny says you're in a coma… but that would mean your mind is inactive.*_

_~In that case, I'm definitely _not_ in a coma. I need to get up and tell Talon--~ _Her thought was suddenly blocked off by a demanding heave from her stomach. I jumped up and turned her on her side. Just in time, too; she expelled the contents of her stomach as soon as she was on her side. I wiped her mouth clean, grimacing at the smell of the stuff.

_~That's getting annoying…~ _I laughed out loud at her thought.

*_What do you need to tell Talon? I could relay a message for you.*_

_~Well, it's not really so much telling as it is showing…~_

_*Meaning?*_

_~…Lift up the blanket.~_

Hesitantly, I did as I was told, only to drop the blanket again in shock; both from mom's thoughts and the sight that greeted me.

*_That is a very good reason to need to get up,*_

_~I know… but no matter what I try, I can't move. And if I don't stop throwing up soon, things aren't going to turn out very well… for either of us.~_

I bit my lip, wondering if I should run and get Talon. He should have been the first to know, but if my guess was correct, Jenny and Jelly both already knew.

*_Do you want me to get him?*_

_~Yes… would you be able to stay connected with me as you went? It's nice to be able to talk to someone~_

_*I'll try. It all depends on how far away Talon is.*_

I left the den, keeping one part of my mind touching moms'. I headed for the main clearing, where everyone had gathered for the wrestling tournament. I could see most of the toms there, hoping they could beat Tamm, Mercuos, and Wallen. Rosa and Lizarre were standing next to the three toms, both of them looking like they owned the world. My eyes searched through the crowd for Talon's gold fur... there he was! On the far side of the clearing. I darted forward, weaving through the cats who were preparing to fight.

"Talon!" I called to him, trying to divert his attention from coaching Pouncival and Tumblebrutus.

"Don't let him see your back," he said dryly. I couldn't tell if he was ignoring me or not. I narrowed my eyes and decided a different tactic.

*_Come with me,* _I thought. His head whipped around, searching for the sound.

-_That was weird…-_

_*Are you going to keep ignoring me, or are you going to listen?*_

_-Wha—Vail? How are you inside my head?-_

_*I'll tell you later; that's not important. Now, are you going to sit here watching those toms wrestle, or are you going to listen to me?*_

_-What do you want?-_

_*Mom's been asking for you*_

Talon took off running without another word, leaving everyone else very confused in the clearing; they hadn't been aware of the mental conversation. I ran after him, catching up just as we reached Jenny's medical den.

_~He's here, isn't he? I can sense him!~_

_*Yes, he's here. I will have to act as a translator for now, since you can't move*_

_~But wait, look! I've been working on this~_

I could feel her focus all her attention on her eyelids, and I watched them curiously. They fluttered for a moment before opening a crack. I smiled.

*_So as long as we keep working at it, you'll be moving in no time*_

_~But I've been working on that since I've been able to think clearly. Do you know how long that took?~_

I paled._*Almost ten hours*_

_~Huh. I didn't think it was that long. But anyway, getting my whole body to move will take longer than we have~_

"What did you mean, she was asking for me?"

"Exactly what I said," I turned to the gold tom. "I didn't say she was _physically_ asking for you."

Talon frowned. "You can hear her thoughts?" he guessed.

I nodded. "She needs to tell you something."

"But how can she, when she can't speak?"

~_I'm right here, guys. Don't talk about me like I'm not here!~_

"Well, he can't hear you, so that's something you'll have to live with." I poked my tongue out at mom, sending a mental picture of it at the same time. Her breath heaved out like she was trying to laugh. I narrowed my eyes, contemplating. "I'm going to try and connect your minds together, but I'll have to stay connected as well. Are you both willing to try that?" Talon nodded, and I heard an affirmative from mom. I reached out my mind, pulling both of their minds towards each other. When they met, the strangest sensation came over me.

It was like we were standing on a blank field, each of us in the same position we'd been in before. Mom blinked, and sat up. I smiled. She could move as much as she wanted in her mind, so this new perspective was better.

"Talon!" Mom ran—more like glided—forward, throwing her arms around his neck. "I've been so worried about you!"

"About me?" Talon asked incredulously. He was still trying to take in the fact that he was inside of her _mind_. "You've been the one in a coma for nearly two days!"

"Not a coma," I said. "She just doesn't have any energy."

"Well…" Talon looked from me to mom. "Why not?"

"I have a theory about that," I said. I extended my mind out, searching for the other four who could join us easily. Finding them, I gave a good yank, pulling them into our little rendezvous. Pike looked startled, Cori and Tanto seemed calm, but Misto's face flooded with guilt as soon as he saw mom. I grinned at him. "This little guy," I said, grabbing him by his arm and pulling him forward, "tried to use your own energy when he tried to replace the mental block. Obviously, there wasn't enough and now you don't have enough energy to move." I turned to the shame-faced conjurer. "Isn't that right?"

Misto nodded. "I didn't realize what I was doing until…" He gulped, obviously terrified of what I could do to him. "It wasn't my fault."

"Of course not," I said, adopting a kitten-ish tone to my voice. "You were just twying to be a good wittle tom."

"We take it you have thought up a solution?" Coricopat and Tantomile said in unison.

I stared at them for a moment. _Creepy…_ I blinked and shook my head. "I haven't gotten that far yet…" I admitted.

"I think all we have to do is transfer our energy into mom's body, and she'll be able to move."

Mom smiled at Pike, who'd spoken up. I grinned at my brother. "I do believe we have a solution, then."

"First order of business," Pike said, crossing his arms in front of his chest. "Talon can't last much longer here; he doesn't have enough energy."

We all glanced at the gold tom, who was trying his best to stay standing. I nodded. "I need the four of you," I gestured to Pike, Coricopat, Tantomile, and Mistoffelees, "To get to Jenny's medical den as soon as you get back to your bodies. No excuses." I stared pointedly at the tuxedo tom. "Everyone clear?" They all nodded. "Good." I released my hold on everyone's minds.

…

Talon sat on a small seat, watching us as we stood around the head of mom's bed. I placed my right paw on her forehead and my left on Misto's shoulder, encouraging the others to do the same. Standing like that, we formed a tight circle around her. I closed my eyes and began pushing as much energy as I could spare into her body.

**[A/N] I feel the need to reassure some readers…**

**Insanemistosingsmore and Roselna: Obviously, since Kroova is my OC, I cannot kill her. Because that would be a deranged form of suicide. So no worries!**


	22. Chapter 24

Pike sat hidden, hugging his knees to his chest. It had been about three hours since they finished transferring energy to Kroova, but she'd gone straight to sleep. Of course, the five conjurers were exhausted, so they all went off to get some rest as well. But Pike's mind wouldn't let him sleep. He heard someone approaching him, and he knew it was Vail, coming to see if he was alright. She didn't say anything; just put an arm around his shoulders and wearily leaned against him.

"Is that what you knew?" Pike asked. Vail nodded, rubbing her eyes. Pike stared at her. "How are you not losing your mind right now?"

"I—I'm better at suppressing things than you are, I guess."

"And those dang mental blocks don't work on us," Pike growled. "Believe me, I've tried."

"Well, I guess you should try to accept it," Vail offered.

"Accept it?!" Pike shot up, hitting his head on a low-hanging beam. He rubbed the spot, but continued to glare at his sister. "Our mom used to be human! How am I supposed to _accept_ that?!" Vail stared at her paws, slightly shake by Pike's outburst; she'd never seen him upset before. He hit the beam, growling. "Do you know what that makes us? Freaks!" He hit the beam again, this time letting sparks fly from his paws.

"I warned you not to look at those," Vail said quietly. She stood, grateful that she was slightly taller than Pike. "I told you when we entered her mind that you wouldn't like what you saw. But you didn't listen, did you? You never listen to me!" Her voice almost matched his in volume, and wild sparks were flying off their paws.

"Why should I?" Pike snarled, drawing his claws out. "You've lived with Macavity most of your life."

"Don't you DARE go there!" Now it was Vail's turn to growl. She tugged at her glove, but left it on. "It's because of me he hasn't picked _you_ up, yet!"

Pike paused, staring at her. "He knows?"

Vail nodded. "And he wants you. I persuaded him to leave you alone for the time being, but I don't know how long that will last." She rubbed her eyes. "Why are we even fighting?"

Pike sat down, blinking several times. "I don't know… I think it's just because we're tired."

Vail laughed weakly. "Should we get some sleep, then?" She began to lay back, only to be stopped by Pike as _he_ tried to lean back.

"I don't see why not," Pike yawned, not bothering to move from his position. Vail nodded, and the twins were soon fast asleep, sitting back-to-back.

=^..^=

I smiled as I sensed movement. _Soon, everyone will know, love._ I took a deep breath, and then pushed myself up on the bed, looking around for Talon. He was sleeping with his back against the wall, his head in his paws. I grinned as I silently got out of the bed and slid down next to him, resting my head on his shoulder. He flinched at the sudden contact, but stayed fast asleep. I wrapped my tail around his, snuggling deeper into his side. I wasn't tired at all, but I was content to wait until he woke up.

_Well, almost,_ I thought as my stomach clenched and gurgled in hunger. I rolled my eyes and tried to ignore it, hoping Jenny or Jelly would come in soon.

Talon stirred next to me; he'd heard my stomach. He blinked his eyes a few times before he realized I was not on the bed, and began to panic when he saw that I was next to him. "Kroova!" He caught me up in a tight hug, making me feel guilty for being immobile for so long. Finally he pulled away. "I'm so glad to see that you're alright," He said, smiling.

"I'm a little hungry, but I'm fine," I said with a laugh. "How have you been?"

Talon laughed loudly, and I wondered how long it had been since he had last. "Let's go find some food, then." He stood up and offered a paw to help me up.

As I did, I felt a cramp in my stomach, reminding me of my previous mission. "Talon," I said, stopping him from leaving the den. He gazed at me questioningly, and I smiled back. "I have something to tell you." I bit my lip to contain my excitement. "I'm going to have a kitten!"

**[Premature Author's Note: This is what was under the blanket. I'm surprised nobody asked about that in their reviews. Anyway, on with the story]**

Talon's eyes grew wide and his gaze shot down to my stomach where a tiny—but no less visible—bump was protruding from between my hips. I watched the emotions on his face go from shock, to wonder, to uncontained happiness. He picked me up and spun me in a circle, then planted a kiss on my lips. **[I know it's very cliché but I wanted to use it]** He pressed his forehead against mine.

"How long have you known?"

"Since I could think clearly," I rested my head against his shoulder, rubbing his chest. "It was all I could think about for a long time. I was scared that I wouldn't ever be able to move again, and that would be bad."

"Well, you're standing now," Talon pointed out. I giggled. "So there's really no worries, now is there?"

I shook my head. "Weren't we going to find some food to put in my stomach? I'm eating for two, you know."

Talon laughed again and led me out, keeping an arm on my waist.

…

Soon, the entire tribe had heard the happy news, and congratulations could be heard everywhere I went. My face reddened whenever someone mentioned it, and I couldn't help the beaming smile from spreading across my face. _Much better than the first time,_ I thought, then shook my head. Pike and Vail were just as important to me as any other kit would be… I looked around. Where were they? I hadn't seen them all afternoon. I began asking around and learned from Liebe that Pike had gone to his 'special place' for a nap.

"Do you know where it is?"

"Are you kidding?" Liebe rolled her eyes. "If I knew it wouldn't be special, would it?" She strolled off, headed for the center clearing.

I decided to resort to tracking, and began sniffing out trails I could follow. After going almost all over the junkyard—with Talon walking by my side—I came across a small opening barely large enough for fully grown cats to squeeze through. I poked my head inside to see Vail and Pike curled up together and snoring peacefully. I smiled as I climbed in, gently tapping Vail's paw to wake her.

"Huh?" Vail opened her eyes, rubbing them with her uncovered paw. "What's going on?" She smiled at me. "Good to see you up," she said.

I smiled back. "Wake up your brother," I nodded to his sleeping form. Vail glanced behind her and elbowed him in the back.

"Get up, Silverthought."

Pike sat bolt upright, looking around. "What's happening?" He demanded. After realizing there was no emergency, he turned around, smiling at me.

"I've got something to talk to both of you about."

Vail ducked her eyes. "We know," she said quietly.

I lifted an eyebrow at her. "You do?"

"Everything," Pike assured. "You don't have to tell us anything."

I tilted my head. "Not even that you're getting a little sibling soon?"

Pike's eyes widened, but Vail just giggled. "That was the one thing I kept from everyone else while we were giving you energy. I figured you wanted to tell them yourself. And," she glanced at Pike—who nodded, but still looked slightly shocked. Vail smiled. "We both want to go back with you and the barn cats."

I smiled. "Well, then. I guess we should go join Rascal and Taru. The wrestling tournament is about to start."

=^..^=

Vail grinned slyly at Kroova as she stood opposite from Wallen in the circle. The glove was secured on her paw, just to ensure the safety of any she fought. Taru was sitting on the tire, calling out the rules.

"No claws or teeth, any open wounds at the end of the fight will result in immediate disqualification of the offender. Everyone clear on the rules?" Nobody answered, and Taru grinned. "Begin!"

Wallen and Vail prowled in a slow circle, neither of them wanting to make the first move. "I'm glad you're coming back with us, Vail. You've always been such a cutie." The crowd laughed at the jest, waiting to see how Vail would respond. She merely smiled.

"You should stop looking in the mirror, Wallen. You'll make it crack."

Wallen's face turned bright red, and the crowd was in hysterics. Vail grinned and feigned a lunge to the right, rolled and kicked his legs out from under him. Wallen neatly rolled back into a crouch, glaring at Vail. She smiled sweetly.

"You shouldn't let what others say get to your head," she lunged again, and the two were batting at each other and wrestling in the dirt. Few noises could be heard from them as they fought to stay on top and pin the other to the ground. Eventually it simply became a contest to see who would tire first. Members of the tribe began making bets about who would win, and the mock-fight became so intense that they could not look away. It wasn't long before it was clear that Wallen was gaining the upper hand. He grinned as Vail became visibly tired, and he began trying to force her flat on her back. Wallen's name could be heard being chanted from the crowd, and the tom could sense a victory was near.

A random sneeze from Pike and the whole thing changed. Vail sprang up; revealing that she'd only faked her fatigue, and tackled Wallen in the stomach, driving the air out of his lungs. In his moment of surprise Vail was able to pin him flat on his back. He stared at her, wide-eyed, gasping for breath. Vail winked at him. "I win."

Taru laughed as she strode into the center. "Alright! Vail is the winner for this fight. Now, you can go sit over there, and Wallen, you can—"

"JENNY!" Liebe came running into the clearing, searching for the Gumbie cat. She pulled at Jenny's paws, her eyes frantic.

"What is it, dear?"

"Griffyn's in labor!"

Suddenly everyone was scrambling to get out of Jenny's way as she ran back to her medical den. Everyone sat idly in the clearing, not really anxious to get back to the tournament. Rascal glanced at his mate then stood and addressed the cats.

"Now then, who's next?" He grinned. "You all know there's naught we can do but wait, and it'll seem like less time if we're doin' something."

With nods of agreement, contesters were signed in and paired up, and the tournament was well under way.

=^..^=

"So what's her name?"

I bit back laughter at Liebe's question and noticed the rest of the barn cats were doing the same. Griffyn smiled at the black and white queen.

"We'll know when she's eleven months old," she explained. "It's our tradition not to name our kits; we let them choose their own name when they come of age."

"Oh," Liebe considered the idea. "What do you call them until then?"

Taru laughed. "Mostly we just say, 'Oi! You!'" Everyone present who was in the tribe chuckled, but I knew the large black queen was being completely serious. I'd had a hard time convincing them to call Pike and Vail by name, at first.

Jenny walked in, carrying a tray of food. "Enough visitors," she said. "Everyone out! You can come back in the morning _as long as_ you aren't coming in great droves!"

I lingered in the doorway, looking at the little queen in Griffyn's arms. She was light brown with a solid black stripe down the center of her back, running from her nose to the tip of her tail. I waited for a name to come to mind, but nothing happened. I frowned, but left the den to catch up with Talon.

**[A/N] Ok! So there's something I feel I should mention: Liebe is training to take over for Jenny, that's why she was the first one to know.**

**Also, there are pictures of Pike, Vail, and Kroova up on my Deviant page, with more characters soon to come! Want to know how to get there? Go to my profile and click on my homepage ^,^!**


	23. Chapter 25

I darted along the darkening road, keeping my eyes on my destination. Much to Talon's protests, I was alone. I had to be, otherwise I wouldn't be able to speak freely with Old Deuteronomy; Talon still didn't know about my past. I paused for a moment as my head began to spin. _Seventeen years!_ Knowing I'd been on earth for that long—longer, because of my year as a cat—made me feel strange. I took a deep breath to steady myself and continued to the Vicarage wall. I glanced up at the moon that was peeking over the horizon. Within a few hours, the Jellicle Ball would begin.

Old Deuteronomy was sitting upright, watching the moon as it rose. As I approached, it was as if he didn't notice me at first, but then he surprised me by saying, "Good evening, Kroova."

I leapt up onto the wall. "Good evening."

He turned to me, fixing an unblinking stare on me. "Is something bothering you?"

"Yes…" I paused, trying to frame my thoughts into words. "Today when I saw Gryffin's kitten, I didn't see her name. It's been bothering me for a while," I glanced at him. "That is the reason, after all, that I'm a cat."

"Ah," Deuteronomy settled onto his stomach, returning his focus on the moon. "So they didn't block your memories back up."

"As far as they know, they did," I said quietly. "I've only feigned ignorance because I needed to talk to you. But it's been hard keeping it from Vail."

"Your daughter certainly is extraordinary," Deuteronomy commented. "And they are both going back to Ireland with you?"

"Yes," I nodded. I was quiet for a moment. "Why do you think I couldn't guess the kitten's name?"

Deuteronomy chuckled. "Vail isn't the only one with powers over the mind," he said. "I took certain… liberties while you were unconscious."

"So you… got rid of my gift?" I scrunched my nose, frowning at my paws. "Why?"

"I should think it would have become clear to you."

I stared at him. "It was only a danger to cats while I was human," I reminded him. Then it hit me. "You want to turn me back, don't you?"

"I was informed of the trials you've experienced this past year, and I feel no one should be taken from their family to go through that kind of pain."

"But I didn't know," I pressed. "I didn't realize what I was missing!"

"Exactly." Deuteronomy sat up again and looked me straight in the eyes. "Do you know what you've missed by not being human? Your friends in America managed to raise the money for a flight back within a week, and Mike flew over himself to get you. He had plans for your future, do you realize that?"

I stared at the old tom. "I have a life," I said. "I have a future, I don't need another one!"

Deuteronomy continued as if he hadn't heard me. "When he came and talked to your mother, he was heartbroken that you were missing. He led several search parties before everyone else gave you up for dead. Eventually, his parents had to come get him; he refused to leave unless he found you."

"Why are you telling me this?" I demanded. "I have a family. I have a home. That past isn't part of me anymore!"

"Is it?" Deuteronomy raised an eyebrow. "As I said, your daughter isn't the only one with powers involving the mind. She pulled you all into a sort of limbo before the conjurers transferred energy to you. Did you know it is possible to not return to your original body?" I stared at him, not following his point. "It is a simple matter of pulling in the right direction, and therefore a soul transfer is simple."

I blinked. "Wait, what?"

"You didn't honestly think I would send you into the life of a cat alone, did you?"

I thought back to that time, pondering over each cat I'd met. He wouldn't do anything to his tribe; they were too precious to him. My thoughts fell on the barn cats. "Who are they?"

"I think you'll be able to match their personalities with several of Cassie's friends," Deuteronomy smiled. "Take your time to think it over, but not now. You'll wear yourself out."

"But," I scratched my head. "That doesn't make sense. They've been living there for generations."

"During a soul transfer," Deuteronomy explained. "A person's entire soul is _split_ in a way. The majority of the soul—the memories, the instincts—returns to its true body. But the _essence_ follows the pull of the controller. For example, do you and Talon tease each other a lot?"

I nodded, laughing a little at the memories of all our playful banters. As if someone turned on the light, my jaw dropped. "Is—is that Mike?"

Deuteronomy chuckled. "I couldn't leave the poor boy heartbroken forever."

I felt my ears heat up as I smiled to myself. _I guess everyone gets a happy ending,_ I thought. I knew I'd figure out the rest of the barn cats later, but now I just wanted to get back to Talon. I stopped myself from leaping off the wall and turned to the Jellicle leader. "Could you block the memories? But only some of them?"

Deuteronomy smiled and held his paws out. I sat in front of him. "Just hold on to the ones you want," he said as he placed his paws on my temples.

=^..^=

Talon grinned as he saw Kroova returning to the junkyard. Everyone was scattered around close to the clearing as they waited for the Ball to begin. The gold tom crouched as Kroova came in perfect pouncing range… With a laugh, he sprang at her, and she responded by fighting back. For a moment, Talon was proud. She'd come so far from the shy queen he'd met a year ago.

"Ok, that's enough," Kroova said, giggling a little. She sat next to him, snuggling into his side. "When does it start?"

"When Munkustrap comes out," Talon said, pulling an arm around her waist. "He's just patrolling the area."

Kroova sighed and rested her head on Talon's shoulder. He glanced down at her.

"What?"

She smiled. "I love you," she said, kissing his cheek.

Talon returned the kiss. "I love you, too."

=^..^=

My ears perked up, and I heard the tribe cats starting to move towards the clearing. I grinned at Talon. "It's time," I said. I stood and padded silently towards the clearing, listening intently for the first notes. I sat in a shadow, watching for Munkustrap to appear.

_Are you blind when you're born?_

_Can you see in the dark?_

_Dare you look at a king?_

_Would you sit on his throne?_

_Can you say of your bite; that it's worse than your bark?_

_Are you cock of the walk?_

_When you're walking alone?_

_Because Jellicles are, and Jellicles do_

_Jellicles do and Jellicles can _

_Jellicles can and Jellicles would_

_Jellicles would and Jellicles do_

_When you fall on your head, do you land on your feet?_

_Are you tense when you sense there's a storm in the air?_

_Can you find your way blind when you're lost in the street?_

_Do you know how to go to the Heaviside Layer?_

_Because Jellicles can and Jellicles do_

_Jellicles do and Jellicles can_

_Jellicles can and Jellicles do_

_Jellicles do and Jellicles can_

_Jellicles can and Jellicles do_

_Can you ride on a broomstick to places far distant?_

_Familiar with candle, with book and with bell?_

_Were you Wittington's friend?_

_The Pied Piper's assistant?_

_Have you been an alumnus of Heaven and Hell?_

_Are you mean like a minx? _

_Are you lean like a lynx?_

_Are you keen to be seen when you're smelling a rat?_

_Were you there when the Pharos commissioned the sphinx?_

_If you were and you are, you're a Jellicle cat!_

**[A/N Just because I don't feel like it, I'm not going to type up the whole song; you guys all know it.]**

I couldn't recall having so much fun in my entire life. Singing and dancing with the Jellicle tribe… it was as if someone had thrown us all head-first into our own world, where nothing mattered but the dance and there was no such thing as problems. As a cat, I wasn't a very good dancer, but Cassie had been, so I used those memories to help me (it was a little difficult at first, but I soon began to flow like the others). When Deuteronomy appeared and called all the cats out for the main part of the ball, Talon pulled me aside.

"I think you should rest," he said in an undertone.

I rolled my eyes. "I'm not tired," I scoffed. I tried to go back to join the dance, but Talon held firm.

"Do you really think that's the best idea?" he asked. He pulled me into a hug, and I knew what he was getting at.

"The kitten is going to be fine," I insisted. "A little dancing isn't going to hurt." I glanced back, hearing the music starting to slow. "Come on," I said, pulling at Talon's paw. "Let's join for this part, at least." Talon sighed, but followed me back towards the other dancers. We all settled down, lying in a mass of jumbled bodies, each pair snuggling into their mate. I rested my head on Talon's shoulder and closed my eyes, just listening to everyone breathe.

A strange energy entered the atmosphere, and even though nobody moved, we were all tense. I tried to place where and when I'd felt the prickling sensation on the back of my neck… It was familiar, but I couldn't place the memory. Then the silence was broken by a shriek from Demeter.

"MACAVITY!!"

**[A/N] :P I will update soon, because I can't leave this hanging. But I'm being summoned by a higher power to set the table, and therefore I will let you all read what I have. **

**MandoJetti: This doesn't mean anything but war. As you already know… Pomegranate! **


	24. Chapter 26

Instantly, the queens and kittens were herded to the center of the clearing, with the toms standing protectively around us ready to fight. I noticed that Taru and Raena were also standing guard. Next to me, Vail was glancing around, tugging at her glove. She pulled out a small bottle and dipped each of the claws on her left paw in it before she wrapped it up and tossed it aside. She grinned at me.

"I've waited a long time for this," she said quietly.

"Can you do something?" I asked, scanning the surrounding junk piles for the ginger tom. Vail nodded. "Copy the knowledge of fighting from the barn cats' memories into the rest of the tribe. It'll come in handy in case we have to fight."

Vail shook her head. "I don't want anyone else fighting him. That gets to be my pleasure alone."

Munkustrap heard us talking, and joined our whispered conference. "That wouldn't be a good idea, Vail. He's—"

"My father, I deserve it." Vail glared at the silver tabby, who returned his attention to the shadows around the clearing. A loud voice echoed through the air, sending chills down my spine. In the center of the group, I could see Bombalurina shielding Demeter as she shivered violently.

"Jellicles," said Macavity, though he was still hidden from view. "You have a traitor in your midst. Send her to me, and no one else shall get hurt." The tribe began looking around, confused. Who would be a traitor? The voice chuckled. "If you need help figuring it out, look no further than Kroova's daughter."

Vail narrowed her eyes as the entire tribe—even some of the barn cats—turned to stare at her. She stood up calmly, her eyes fixed on one particular shadowed spot. "You want to settle this, old tom? Come out from hiding and let's fight; you and me."

Macavity laughed at her boldness. "That is exactly the attitude that will get you killed," he stepped out from his hiding place, and Vail stepped through the group to stand between us and Macavity. I felt a paw on my shoulder and saw Talon standing behind me, ready to fight. Vail glared at Macavity, and he descended from the pile to stand on even ground with her. "Let's get this over with."

Taru and Rascal began ushering the cats to the sides of the clearing, where we spread out on the junk. Vail and Macavity began circling towards the center, and the air seemed to crackle with energy. The stars, which had twinkled so merrily before, seemed distant and cold, and were fast being covered by thunderous black clouds. A chilling wind began gusting around the junkyard, forcing everyone to huddle in sheltered spots; there weren't many within view of the clearing.

I could hear Taru whispering to herself, "Claws out, eyes half-closed… her tail isn't twitching, but she'll pounce first…" I watched, making the same observations in my mind. Vail was keeping her weight evenly distributed on her legs, making it easy for her to strike without preparation. She kept her eyes half-closed to keep possible blinking to a minimum, also to reduce the risk of getting dirt in her eyes. True to Taru's prediction, Vail lunged, claws first, without any sign that she would do so. Macavity managed to dodge out of the way, but Vail seemed to guess where he was going; she caught him on the shoulder with her claws. I gasped; she was reading his mind! It seemed obvious Macavity didn't know about it, otherwise he would have set up defenses.

Macavity scratched Vail across her face, but she swung at him with equal ferocity. As I watched, I realized she was using her left paw a lot more than normal. Then I remembered the little bottle. Each time Vail failed to cut him with her left claws, she seemed only to get angrier, and I knew it was only a matter of time before she snapped completely and went wild. They snarled and lunged at each other, and each time Macavity managed to rake his claws through Vail's fur, I couldn't help but flinch.

Macavity managed to knock Vail's feet out from under her, and she landed hard on an injured shoulder. She yelled out, trying to ignore the pain as miniscule rocks entered her cuts, and Macavity grinned triumphantly. He leapt at her, teeth and claws reaching for her neck. It was then he made his biggest mistake of the fight. Vail kicked upward with her hind legs, raking him across his face with both sets of claws. Macavity tumbled backwards, clutching at his face, screaming. Vail pushed herself up, trembling and breathing hard.

"The concentrated poison will kill you a lot faster than the two years it normally takes, but you'll be begging for death long before then." She said, glaring at the ginger tom writhing on the ground. The tribe stared dumbfounded at Macavity as he tried—and failed—not to scream in pain. Munkustrap was the first to come to his senses.

"Jenny, Jelly, get Vail to the medical den," he commanded, sending the two queens hurrying Vail away from the clearing. "Alonzo, Plato and Admetus, help me get Macavity out of here."

…

I stepped into the medical den, watching the two queens wrap up the many cuts Vail had gained from her battle with Macavity. As far as I could tell, she was unconscious.

"How is she?" I asked quietly.

Jennyanydots smiled warmly at me. "You have a very brave daughter," she said as she rubbed a cream on Vail's shoulder. "She's fine; just sleeping. We gave her some broth that would allow us to stitch some of these up." She gestured to the numerous cuts cris-crossing Vail's body. "She said she didn't want them to be healed by magic."

"She wants the scars," Jelly added as she began pulling a needle and thread through Vail's shoulder. I shuddered and looked away.

"Anyway," Jenny said, setting the bowl down. "If you're just going to stand there and watch us, I think it best for you to leave and occupy yourself otherwise. As far as I know, Deuteronomy still has to choose someone to go up to the Heaviside Layer."

I smiled and thanked them, leaving the medical den to return to the clearing. What I saw there was truly a puzzling sight. Deuteronomy was standing on the tire with… Rum Tum Tugger next to him? Munkustrap was standing at the head of the tribe on the ground, facing his father and brother. I could tell they were arguing about something.

"All I'm saying is that he doesn't deserve it!" Munkustrap said angrily.

Tugger rolled his eyes. "He's going to die anyway. We might as well get rid of him now."

"And let him start another life?" Demeter asked incredulously. "No thank you!"

"I think you are all overreacting," Deuteronomy said, trying to calm the angered cats. I sauntered up next to Cassandra, who was shaking her head with a scowl on her face.

"What happened?" I asked quietly.

"Deuteronomy suggested Macavity go up to Heaviside." She said in disgust. "Tugger is the only one who agrees."

"Isn't that ultimately Deuteronomy's decision?" I muttered, looking at the old tom.

Cassandra nodded. "But Munkustrap threatened to kill Macavity before he could go."

"Munkustrap wouldn't do that, would he?" I looked at the silver tabby, wondering if he really had the capacity to kill. Cassandra shrugged, returning her attention to the argument. I frowned at my paws. Did Macavity deserve a second chance? Perhaps he simply had poor upbringing. _He did horrible things to you,_ a voice whispered in the back of my mind. _Yes, _I reasoned, _but without that, I wouldn't have Pike and Vail. You wouldn't have gone to Ireland, and you never would have the family you have now._ I bit my lip, bracing myself for what I was about to do. I plucked up my courage and sprinted to the tire to stand next to Deuteronomy and Tugger.

"What are you siding with them for?" Munkustrap stared at me, and I felt myself wither under the glare of the tribe. I noticed the barn cats were standing at the back, separated from the group. I could see Taru's look of disbelief as she saw me on the tire. I bit my lip again.

"I know I have as good as reason as any of you to go against Deuteronomy's decision, but I've been thinking," I paused, glancing at the two toms by me. Deuteronomy smiled encouragingly and Tugger grinned. "I would be a Jellicle if it weren't for Macavity—"

"She makes it sound like a bad thing," Pouncival muttered, though he was loud enough for everyone to hear. I pressed my mouth into a line to wait for silence.

"Because of him, I traveled to Ireland, where I met the cats who I am proud to call my friends and family. I have my two kits, who are smarter and more talented than any other pair of kits I have ever met. I took the time to count the blessings I have because Macavity has touched my life. Why can't you?" The Jellicles glanced at each other uneasily. "Demeter, would your senses be as strong if you had never met Macavity?" the black and gold queen stared at me for a moment, and then slowly shook her head. "Munkustrap, would you be able to fight as well?"

Tugger laughed. "Exactly." He grinned at his brother. "He taught you how to fight, bro. You'd pretty much suck if he didn't, because I never would have."

This earned some chuckles from the tribe. I smiled at the Maine Coon, glad he was supporting me. "Take a moment and think about how your lives would be without Macavity. Sure, there will be some parts that might be better, but try to focus on how you've benefited from him. Think twice before you reject Deuteronomy's decision."

There was silence, and the first to move was Pike. He sprinted up to stand next to the tire, grinning. "Without Macavity, I never would have been born." Immediately following his statement, all his friends joined us next to the tire; they would never have met Pike. The next to come up were the barn cats, with Taru clapping me on my shoulder. Mercuos muttered something about never meeting Vail, and his face burned red. Pouncival and Tumblebrutus glanced at each other, then joined us.

"We wouldn't have learned to fight as good," Tumble said.

Eventually, each and every member of the tribe was gathered around the tire, waiting for Deuteronomy to begin. He beamed at everyone, most of all me, and stretched his paws out. "Bring Macavity here," he said. Alonzo and Munkustrap left to bring the ginger tom, and the rest of the cats began singing.

_Up, up, up past the Russel hotel,_

_Up, up, up, up, to the Heaviside Layer…_

Macavity was staring out of his good eye at us, no doubt trying to make sense of the situation. His arms were slung around Alonzo and Munkustrap's shoulders, and his wounds were bandaged. A path cleared to the tire, and the toms slowly made their way up. Macavity's eyes darted to the sky, then to Deuteronomy and back again, then widened. He was powerless to do anything to prevent ascending to the tire, so he allowed himself to be carried up. Deuteronomy supported the ginger tom's weight, who was staring in wonder up at the sky. As the area filled with mist, I felt Deuteronomy's paw pulling on my arm, and I climbed onto the tire as well as it lifted into the air.

Macavity kept his eyes riveted on a shining spot in the clouds, but his attention was on me. "You did this? Why? I've only ever done bad things to you Jellicles."

I smiled and placed a paw on his shoulder. "I took the time to see the good in you. Not many can do that, and they are blinded by prejudice and hate. I was able to see the blessings in my life from knowing you." I smiled at the tom. "Pike and Vail really are extraordinary kits," I said. "It may sound weird to say this, but…" I took a deep breath. "I'm glad I know you. Thank you."

Macavity stared at me in wonder. "It would have been nice to get to know you," he muttered. I grinned at him.

"Well, you never know," I said. I glanced at the clouds we were nearing. "We might meet again someday."

Macavity stared back up at the clouds, where a truly amazing thing was appearing. I stared, open-mouthed as a large silver paw stretched gracefully downward towards the tire. Deuteronomy smiled at Macavity and helped him onto the paw, which slowly—almost lovingly—retracted into the layer of clouds, disappearing through the dark rolling mass. I shivered as I realized how cold it was, and Deuteronomy wrapped an arm around my shoulders for warmth.

"I am certainly proud of the queen you've become," he said as the tire returned to the ground. "Not everyone would have been able to convince the Jellicles to accept Macavity that quickly. I wish everyone could be as forgiving as you."

My ears and face burned at the compliment. "I don't really like the idea of Munkustrap becoming a killer," I muttered. I knew it was just an excuse, but it was true. I didn't like the idea of killing any other creature unless I had to for survival.

=^..^=

The sun was sending streams of pink and gold across the dusty blue sky as everyone returned to their dens for some well sought-after rest. I snuggled down next to Talon, who was already asleep. I sighed. When Vail was feeling up to it, we would be returning to Ireland. No doubt Mercuos would be courting Vail; he was already spending his free time hanging around the medical den. Taru had cuffed him around the ears for not acting sooner, which had made all of us laugh (how could he when she'd been in London and he in Ireland?). I smiled as I felt a tiny nudge from my kitten, and I looked forward to the future with eagerness.

With these happy thoughts in soothing my mind, I fell asleep next to the only true love I'd ever known.

…

EPILOGUE

I fell back against the blanket-covered hay. Giving birth was certainly a lot of work. Raena smiled at me.

"It's a little tom," she said, handing me the tiny bundle.

Talon and I gazed at our son. He was almost pure gold, with a large white patch over his right eye. I wondered if his eyes would be green when they opened.

"Do you know his name?" Talon asked quietly.

I shook my head. "He'll tell us when he's old enough." I stroked his seemingly long headfur. "He's beautiful," I cooed.

"What else would you expect?" Talon joked. He kissed my cheek, then our son's forehead. "He'll grow like mad, I know it."

I laughed. "Pike and Vail certainly did," I let my head fall against Talon's shoulder. "But then, they grew up away from here."

Talon rubbed my arm. "You're tired," he said. "Get some rest, I'll stay awake."

I nodded as my eyelids began to sink. Talon carefully took our son out of my arms, and as I was carried to a more comfortable place to sleep, I could hear him singing an Irish lullaby…

_Over in Killarney _

_Many years ago, _

_Me Mither sang a song to me _

_In tones so sweet and low. _

_Just a simple little ditty, _

_In her good ould Irish way, _

_And l'd give the world if she could sing _

_That song to me this day. _

_"Too-ra-loo-ra-loo-ral, Too-ra-loo-ra-li, _

_Too-ra-loo-ra-loo-ral, hush now, don't you cry! _

_Too-ra-loo-ra-loo-ral, Too-ra-loo-ra-li, _

_Too-ra-loo-ra-loo-ral, that's an Irish lullaby." _

_Oft in dreams I wander _

_To that cot again, _

_I feel her arms a-huggin' me _

_As when she held me then. _

_And I hear her voice a -hummin' _

_To me as in days of yore, _

_When she used to rock me fast asleep _

_Outside the cabin door…_

**FIN**

**[A/N This is a lullaby my madre sang to me as a child (she's Irish), and I wanted to use it because she was singing it to my little brother last night and teaching me the tune. Well, I hate to say it, but I'm really done this time. I'm actually really sad that it's over... kind of like closing night in a show; I'm sure you all know the feeling. Anyway, I'll be including Talon and Kroova's son in my Cats in Narnia cross-over, so you'll get to know him there. **

**MandoJetti: You spelled it wrong.**

**Also, you guys should all check out Aquavera's Story! I've been enjoying it a lot, and so should you!**

**Well, with this story being done, I can say that I will now be focusing more on my other stories… TTFN!!**


	25. The End

The cats sat in the center of the barn, forming an evenly spaced circle. Today was a very special day, one that only came every once in a great while. Talon and Kroova's son was eleven months old today, and it was the day he would announce his name. He had spent the entire morning and early afternoon grooming and preparing, and when the sun shone through a hole in the ceiling and hit the center of the circle, he would come out and announce what he'd been pondering for the last several weeks. As the cats waited for the light to creep to the center of the circle, they talked quietly amongst themselves—well, most of them did; Vail and Mercuos were simply lost in each other's eyes.

Taru soon was unable to stay engrossed in the conversation she was having with Rascal, and her eyes became locked on the pool of sunlight as it inched across the floor. One by one, the conversations ended and they all watched as the circle of afternoon light came within inches of being centered in the circle. They all did their best to keep still, but an occasional flick of the tail betrayed impatience. Finally, the young tom of honor left the shadows of the barn and entered the circle. Nobody moved as he stood in the middle of the sunlight. His golden fur shone brightly, and it seemed he was actually reflecting light into the darker shadows of the barn.

"Today is a very important day for me," he started out, giving the traditional speech whenever a barn cat announced his or her name. "Eleven months ago today, I came into this world, and was not given a name by my mother and father. Some don't understand this, but those who do know that the cat who finds his own name knows himself better than any other living thing on the planet. I have explored the recesses of my mind, learning every single aspect of myself, hoping I might learn what my name is. I stand here this day to announce what I have come to realize."

He took a deep breath and looked at his parents, who were beaming with pride. "My name is Apollo, son of Talon Strongpaw and Kroova Kindheart."

Cheers erupted from the barn cats, and they all rushed forward to welcome Apollo officially into the small clan. They would stay up into the early hours of the morning, celebrating the naming of another cat.

**[A/N] Ok, I only did this so that I wouldn't have to keep saying 'that cat' in my Narnia cross-over. But just so you all know, in the beginning of the story, Apollo is one month away from being named… so ten months… anyway, I just had to post this so you guys know his name. Also, there is **_**something**_** about Apollo; I bet nobody will ever guess. In fact, just in case someone does, I will *ahem* allow them certain privileges regarding the Narnia cross-over. Not to inspire competition, or anything. I just want to know if anyone can get it ;) I also thought it proper to end "The Name Game" with a cat being named!**


End file.
